Unlovable
by xoxoRuflyGirl
Summary: Eric has found a new love and couldn't be happier. However, things quickly take a twist when Eric's life becomes a dangerous and even deadly series of events that Eric ever saw coming.
1. Chapter 1

"_**Unlovable"**_

_**Chapter 1: First Encounter**_

Life sucked. That was the thought in Eric Van Der Woodsen's mind as he sat in his bed, staring at the basketball he was currently dribbling on the floor.

You were brought into the world without your permission, then expected to grow up in a world full of idiots who only thought of themselves and who would betray you in a second if it meant saving their own hide. Even friends—even _best_ friends—would turn their back on you if it was a way for them to get ahead. Then, once you were eighteen, you were expected to get a job working with a bunch of rude people who would disrespect you, working _for_ an even ruder person who would disrespect you even more and treat you like a slave while paying you barely enough to survive.

Come to think of it, your whole life you're a slave. Your parents have you so that they can have a slave, and then, once you're eighteen, they expect you to get a job and become someone else's slave. Not to mention the fact that they want you out of the house. Once you're an adult, they're done with you. They brought you into the world, but they expect you to survive on your own even though you weren't the one who asked to be brought into this world.

"Eric! Stop dribbling the ball in the house! It's louder than thunder down here!" Lily called from downstairs.

Eric sighed, then dropped the ball, letting it fall to the floor and roll underneath his desk chair. He then lay back on his bed, his head propped up by his hands as he stared at the ceiling.

He sighed again. At least his mother had't kicked him out of the house. And, his family was rich, so he really didn't need to worry about getting a job just yet. Though, he supposed his mother would expect him to go to college. She had so many expectations for him that he just didn't know if he could live up to them all.

The truth was, he wasn't sure he even _wanted_ to go to college. He wasn't really sure what he wanted to do at all.

"Eric! It's time for dinner!" Lily called up the stairs to him.

He let out a frustrated groan. He didn't even have time alone to _think_ in this house anymore.

With a loud sigh, he got out of bed, then headed downstairs.

~GG~

"Smells good," Lily said, hugging her husband from behind as he stirred the chili he was making.

Rufus smiled, and turned his head so that he could kiss her. "Of course it does! Everything I make smells delicious!"

Lily smirked. "You have a very high opinion on yourself."

"When it comes to my cooking, I do. And for good reason!" he said, turning his attention back to his chili. He tasted a bit from the spoon, then added a few more spices.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You're so full of it!" She walked to the front of the island, and began to mix the salad.

Rufus grinned, then looked over at her. "Just as you'll be so full of me tonight?"

"Oh my gosh, could you guys _please_ remember that it's not only you two living in this house?" Eric griped as he came down the stairs and entered the kitchen area. He went into the cupboard to gather up the necessities for setting the table.

"You heard Rufus and I in bed one time and you never let us hear the end of it," Lily said.

Eric held up a hand. "Okay, let's not relive that night, please. I'm just starting to get the sounds out of my head. And you know darn well that wasn't the only time. I've heard you two more times than I've mentioned to you. Then there's the things you two say to each other like just now. I swear, if they could, my ears would sue you for all the trauma you two have put them through."

Rufus and Lily smirked at each other.

"Well, _you're_ in a lovely mood," Lily said sarcastically once turning her attention back to her son.

"Whatever," Eric grumbled as he continued to set the table.

No one said much more of anything as they finished preparing dinner.

Once they all say down together for dinner, Eric's bad mood became apparent again.

"This is delicious! Thank you for making us dinner," Lily said to Rufus with a smile.

Rufus smiled as well. "I love making dinner for you and our family."

They nuzzled noses, then kissed.

"Ugh! Will you guys please knock it off?" Eric complained, his tone filled with annoyance.

Rufus nodded at him. "What's with _you_? You never seemed to mind your mother and I displaying our affection before."

"Yeah, well I do mind, all right? There's only so much I can take. I would rather not see my mother making out with my stepdad, thank you very much!" Eric knew he was being a jerk, but he really didn't care. He was so sick of couples making out in front of him, or being all lovey dovey in public. Had they no respect for the single? No. They only cared about themselves and showing off.

"Eric, Rufus and I were not 'making out.' We're husband and wife. We kiss. That's what married couple do," Lily said, raising an eyebrow at her son.

Rufus smirked. "Among other things."

Lily smirked as well, and gently elbowed him.

Eric had had enough. He stood up. "You know what? I'm suddenly not hungry anymore. He headed over to the closet and pulled out his coat.

Lily stood up. "Eric, come back here this instant and eat your dinner! Stop being so ridiculous."

Eric shook his head. "Leave it to you to brush your child's feelings aside. It's funny how you just assume I'm being ridiculous instead of stopping to think that maybe, just maybe I might have something on my mind." He put his coat on.

Lily's expression softened a bit. "Well, then come back and talk with us. Tell us what's wrong."

Eric glanced at his mother and stepfather. Rufus was now standing behind Lily with his arms around her waist. Lily's hands were resting overtop of Rufus' hands.

Eric sighed. "You wouldn't understand anyway." He then pressed the button to the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Lily asked with concern.

"Out. I need some fresh air. I'll be back in a bit." With that, Eric stepped onto the elevator, and let the doors shut away his mother and stepfather.

He sighed, relieved to finally be alone. He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he had to get out of that sickeningly sweet house of love before he went insane. Heck, a part of him felt like he already had.

~GG~

Lily picked at her chili, not really eating any of it.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to play with your food?" Rufus teased as he sat back down next to her. He set her newly refilled wine glass down with one hand, and rubbed her back with the other hand.

Lily sighed. "I don't know what to do with him anymore. Heck, I don't know what to do with _any_ of my children anymore. I gave Scott away. My daughter hates me for putting her boyfriend in jail. Charles hates me for selling his company." She sighed. "And now Eric hates me for not listening to him. I try to understand him, I really do. It's just that he rarely lets me in anymore, so it's hard to know what's going on with him. I'm a terrible mother." She set down her spoon, and pushed away her bowl, no longer hungry.

Rufus moved his chair closer to her, and wrapped his right arm tightly around her. "Don't ever call yourself a terrible mother, Lil. You are an excellent mother! I mean, sure you've made some bad choices when it comes to parenting, but what parent hasn't? You're human, and humans make mistakes. It happens to the best of us. Heck, you think I haven't made any mistakes? Look at how I've handled Jenny. I shipped her off to her mother's because I couldn't deal with her anymore."

Lily looked at him. "But you did it for her own good. She needed to be with her mother."

Rufus nodded. "Just as whatever you do for your children is for their own good. At least, in your mind it is. You were trying to protect Serena from whom you thought was a sexual predator. You may have gone about it the wrong way, but I can understand why you did it. When it comes to selling Bass Enterprises, well, how were you to know this whole mess with Russell would occur? You had no way of knowing! You had to sell it to save it. I'm sure in time Chuck will understand that. And, as for Eric, it's a teenager thing. I know from experience that sometimes teenagers just don't want to talk to their parents about what is going on in their lives."

"But I'm his mother! I have a right to know if something is bothering him!" Lily said.

Rufus smirked. "Think about it, Lil. When you were growing up, did you want to tell Cece everything?"

Lily couldn't help but grin as she thought back to certain predicaments she had been in. "All right, point taken."

Rufus grinned as well. "When he gets back, maybe I can talk to him. He might be more willing to open up to his stepfather than he would his mother. You know, man-to-man."

Lily stroked some hair out of his eyes. "You'd do that?"

Rufus nodded. "Of course! I love him as if he were my own son. I'd do anything for you and our children."

Lily took his face between his hands and kissed him. "Thank you. I love you."

Rufus stroked her cheek. "I love you too, Lil. I always have, and I always will."

They kissed again.

"You didn't mention Scott earlier. Do you still think I was wrong in giving him away?" Lily asked after breaking the kiss.

Rufus shook his head. "No. While I still wish you would have come to me first, I don't think giving him away was wrong. You didn't think you could raise him, so you found him a good family who could."

Lily kissed him yet again, then turned her attention back to her chili. She pulled it back toward herself, and she and Rufus finished their dinner.

"I should have made us some dessert," she said once they had finished.

Rufus stood up, and pulled her chair out for her. "That's all right. I'd rather have _you_ as my dessert anyway."

Lily grinned, and stood up. She wrapped her arms around him. "Well, that works out well because I'd rather have _you_ as _my_ dessert."

Rufus grinned. "Should we wait for Eric to get home?"

Lily laughed. "Shut up!" She playfully swatted her husband's shoulder.

Rufus laughed, and picked her up. "What? I thought we could add something to his list of traumatizing events!"

"You're so bad!" Lily said.

Rufus lowered his eyes. "You know it!"

They grinned at each other and kissed, then Rufus carried his wife up the stairs to have their "dessert."

~GG~

Eric walked the streets with his hands in his pockets, and his head held down low.

He knew he should probably apologize to his mother and stepfather when he got home. He wasn't really angry with them. He was just frustrated is all.

He was tired of seeing everyone so in love. He had to see it with his sister and Ben. He had to see it with his mother and Rufus. He was even starting to see it with Blair and Dan. Who would have thought?

"I guess love is for everyone but me," he grumbled to himself. "Maybe if I didn't keep screwing up, I'd actually have somebody."

Eric still wasn't quite sure why Elliot had broken up with him. Elliot hadn't really given him any good reason. As for Jonathan, well, Eric could still kick himself for the way he had acted, and for the way he had handled things with Jonathan. He had blown his chance with him not once, but twice!

He was just so frustrated! Why did love come so easily to everyone but him? Was it because he was gay? Maybe. Surely it was easier finding straight people than it was finding gay people.

Suddenly, it started to rain.

Eric sighed. "Great! Just great," he grumbled. He hadn't brought an umbrella, and his coat didn't even come with a hood.

He reached into his pocket for his wallet, only to find empty space. "Crap!" He had forgotten to switch his wallet over to the pants he was currently wearing. He was wearing a different pair earlier, but spilled juice on them, so he had switched into these. "Damn it!" Now he couldn't even hail a cab.

With a frustrated sigh, he ran faster, heading home. What made it even worse was that he was two blocks from home.

This was the very last thing he wanted. He was already down and out about not having a boyfriend, and now he had to run home and get drenched in the rain.

Suddenly, he crashed into someone. He looked up and saw the most gorgeous guy he had ever seen in his life. He actually looked a lot like Neal Patrick Harris, only an even hotter, late teen version of him.

"I'm sorry!" Eric said. "I didn't see you there. I'm just trying to get home and out of this rain."

The guy smiled at him. He had an umbrella, so he moved it so that it was over Eric's head as well. "It's all right. How far do you live from here?"

"Two blocks," Eric answered. I forgot my wallet at home. Otherwise, I'd take cab."

"I can give you the money," the guy said, reaching into his pocket.

"You don't have to do that. Really. I'll survive. A little water never killed anybody," Eric said.

"I insist," the guy said to him.

Eric shook his head, and held up a hand. "I can't take your money. I'd feel too bad."

The guy was persistent. "Well, how about I walk you home then? At least you'll have an umbrella."

Eric smiled. "I wouldn't want to put you out of your way."

The guy shook his head. "You'd be doing me a favor. I'll feel too bad if I just leave you to get soaked in the rain."

Eric smiled. "Well, I wouldn't want you feeling bad. All right. Thank you." He really had only agreed because this guy was cute. Wouldn't that be something if he ended up finding the love of his life by literally bumping into him in the rain? It would be like out of a movie.

"I'm Derek by the way," the cute guy extended his free hand to Eric.

Eric laughed, and shook his hand. "Believe it or not, my name is Eric."

Derek laughed too. "How about that? Eric and Derek."

"It's nice to meet you," Eric said with a smile.

Derek smiled back, and Eric couldn't help but notice how adorable his smile was. "It's nice to meet you too."

Eric suddenly didn't even notice the cold rain anymore. His heart was suddenly too warm to notice it.

~GG~

Eric couldn't stop smiling as he took the elevator up to the apartment. He and Derek had talked the whole way to the apartment, and he found that they had a lot in common. They liked the same movie genera, they loved the same bands, heck, they even liked the same foods! When they had arrived at Eric's, Eric had asked Derek if he wanted to come in for a soda or something. Derek had declined, and Eric's heart had sunk a little. That was until Derek suggested that he and Eric meet up tomorrow at noon and have lunch at Rosa Mexicano (since they both loved Mexican), then see the new Adam Sandler movie (since they both loved Adam Sandler).

Eric had quickly agreed to meet him at Rose Mexicano at noon.

The elevator doors opened, and Eric entered the living room, still smiling. Even his mother (dressed only in her negligee and robe) sitting on Rufus' lap and kissing Rufus (who was only in his robe) didn't lessen his mood. In fact, now he found them kind of sweet.

They broke from kissing to look at him.

"There you are! Where did you go?" Lily asked. "I was worried."

Earlier, Eric would have shot back a comment like, "You don't seem too worried. You're too occupied with Rufus' lips to worry." However, now that he had met Derek, he was much more understanding. "I went for a walk. I'm sorry I was such a jerk earlier. And Rufus, I'm sorry I didn't eat much of your chili. From what I tasted, it was really great."

Lily looked shocked.

Rufus remained cool. "It's all right. There's still some in the fridge if you'd like."

Eric nodded. "Cool. I'm actually starved." He headed to the fridge, and took out the Tupperware bowl filled with the left over chili.

"You're soaking wet!" Lily said.

"Am I?" Eric looked down at his clothes. He grinned. "I guess I am." He really hadn't noticed. Not since talking with Derek anyway. "I'll change into my pajamas after I eat." He grabbed a bowl and a spoon, and began to dish some of the chili into his bowl with the spoon.

"Well, _you_ suddenly seem in a much better mood! I'm glad," Lily said with a smile.

Eric looked up at her and grinned. "Me too." Indeed he was. Maybe love was in the cards for him after all. True, he had only just met Derek, but tomorrow he would find out more about him. And then, they could take things from there.

He could hardly wait!

~GG~

"I guess you don't need to have that stepfather to stepson talk with him," Lily said to Rufus once Eric had retired to his room for the night. She and Rufus were cuddled on the couch together, and she had her head resting on his shoulder.

Rufus grinned. "I guess not! I wonder what put him in such a good mood all the sudden?"

Lily smirked. "Don't ask questions, just enjoy it while we can."

Rufus chuckled, then kissed the top of her head. He yawned. "Let's go to bed. We can investigate further tomorrow," he joked.

Lily stretched and yawned. "Sounds like a plan."

They two then headed up to their bedroom, glad Eric's mood was no longer foul.

~GG~

Eric looked out his bedroom window as he lay in bed. He was still thinking about Derek. He knew it was crazy. He didn't even know for sure if Derek was gay or not. He had a feeling he was. He sighed—this time with happiness.

He then rolled over onto his side, holding his extra pillow. He smiled before closing his eyes. He guessed all would be relieved tomorrow.

It was his last thought before he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: I want to thank you all who reviewed my story so far. The idea actually came from a dream of mine, so it is exciting for me to turn it into a story-especially as a suspense story since thrillers and horror are my favorite genera. I hope you all continue to like this story. Xoxo-Judy Rae aka RuflyGirl_

_**Unlovable **_

_**Chapter 2: Everything Is Not What it Seems **_

Eric looked at his watch. It was ten minutes after twelve. He sighed. It looked like he had been stood up. He'd wait a bit longer.

As he sat on the bench and waited for Derek to arrive, he couldn't help but start to feel a little stupid. He had only met Derek the night before. The guy walked him home. Maybe it was dumb of him to expect Derek to suddenly become a friend of his (possibly more) and have lunch and see a movie with him. It was just that, after Jonathan and Elliot, he was eager to be in a relationship again. He missed it.

He looked at his watch. It was now fifteen minutes after twelve. Who was he fooling? Derek wasn't coming.

He stood up and headed to the door just as Derek entered the restaurant.

Derek grinned when he saw Eric, and waved at him.

Eric felt his heart speed up at the sight of him. He smiled as well, and waved back.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Derek apologized. "My dog Max got sick this morning, and I had to take him to the vet. The appointment ran late."

Eric suddenly felt stupid for over thinking the whole thing. He should have known Derek wouldn't cancel. After all, it had been he who had suggested the get together to begin with! "I'm sorry to hear that. Will he be all right?"

Derek grinned. "Yeah, he just found and ate my secret stash of Hersey kisses. Chocolate isn't good for dogs. I'm just glad there weren't many left in the bag. Too much chocolate can be lethal to a dog."

Eric grinned. "I'm glad he's going to be all right. I guess your stash isn't so secret anymore."

Derek laughed. "No, I guess not. I have to hide it from my roommates. Otherwise they will help themselves, thinking I won't notice."

Before Eric could respond to that, the host came over to seat them. However, after they were seated, and had ordered their drinks, Eric decided to inquire more about Derek's roommates. He wondered if Derek were dating any of them. "So, how many people do you live with?"

"Just two. I live with my buddies from high school, Jake and Mitch. They're pretty cool guys. Jake is a mechanic, and Mitch is a full time student. He has a basketball scholarship, and is obviously really good at the game. I wouldn't be surprised if a scout picks him up," Derek explained.

Eric nodded. "I'm impressed! So, are they good roommates, or are they always bringing girls over?" He smirked, trying not to be so obvious about why he was asking this kind of question.

Derek grinned. "Jake can be a bit...loud with his girlfriend, but he goes to her place a lot too, so it's not so bad. As for Mitch, he's a Christian, so be believes in all that abstinence before marriage stuff. He has a cheerleader girlfriend, Gia. She's a real sweet girl. They don't do anything but make out and watch TV."

Eric grinned too. "Well, that's good. What about you? What do you do? You're in college I take it? Do you have a special girl?"

Derek grinned. "I go to college part time, and I work at that new coffee shop a few blocks from here."

"Java Joe's?" Eric asked.

Derek nodded. "That'd be the one!"

"How is it?" Eric asked. "I haven't tried it out yet."

"It's not bad. It's not the best coffee I've had in the world, but it's not the worst either. The manager is nice, and so are my coworkers. Also, it pays enough for my third of the rent, and for my costs of living, so I can't complain. "Thankfully, my parents pay for my college. I'm a freshman." He shook his head. "And, in answer to your last question, I haven't found the right person yet."

Eric didn't know if it was wishful thinking or what, but the way Derek had said he hadn't found the right 'person' rather than he hadn't found the right 'girl' made him wonder if maybe Derek was gay after all.

The waitress came then to see what they wanted to eat, and they realized neither one of them had bothered to look over their menus.

They requested a couple more minutes, laughing once the waitress had left.

"Oops! I guess that's the usual thing to do, look over the menu when you go to a restaurant," Eric joked.

"Well, we were both distracted by good company," Derek said with a wink.

Eric smiled, feeling that familiar thumping in his heart again. "Yeah." He hid behind his menu up to hide his blush. He was thinking even more so now that Derek could be gay. Maybe God was on his side after all—gay or not. Who knew?

~GG~

Lunch had been great. They had even shared some churros for dessert.

The more they had talked, the more Eric fell for Derek. He never knew it was possible to fall this hard for someone so fast, but he had. Now he was determined to find out for sure if Derek was gay, so that he could proceed.

When they arrived at the theater, Eric wanted to order popcorn, but he didn't, for fear of Derek thinking he was a pig. After all, they had just had lunch and dessert.

He didn't have to worry about it though, for Derek spoke up. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to be a pig and order some popcorn. I also think I want some Sour Patch Kids. I _love_ those things! Oo, and some Snowcaps. I gotta have my chocolate. And of course a large Coke."

Eric smirked. "It's a good thing your parents pay for your college tuition. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to afford all that. You sure can pack it away!" He blushed immediately after he said it. "Not that you're fat or anything. In fact, that's partly why I'm so surprised you like to eat so much. You're pretty well built." _Nice save, Van Der Woodsen!_ he thought to himself.

Derek laughed, thankfully not appearing to be offended. "Very true. Even movie ticket prices are becoming insane. Care to be a pig with me? I'll get a large popcorn and we can share everything. Well, except for the soda because I drink a lot, and don't wanna share that."

Eric laughed. "Sure." He went to get out his wallet, but Derek held out a hand to stop him. "That's all right. I got it."

"Really, let me chip in. I don't mind," Eric protested.

But Derek would have none of it. "Put your money away."

Eric took his hand out of his pocket. "Well, thank you. I'll get it next time."

"Deal!" Derek said with a nod.

Eric grinned. It seemed he couldn't stop grinning when with Derek. Derek had, in a way, agreed that there would be a next time. _And_ he was insisting on paying for their snacks. It looked like he just might be gay!

They entered the theater.

"Where do you like to sit? I usually like to sit in the way back so that I have no annoying brats sitting behind me and kicking my seat. I don't know if that's too far back for you or not," Derek stated.

Eric nodded. "It's fine with me. I know what you mean. It's not just kids either. Some adults have no respect for others. What I hate is when they put their feet on the back of your seat even though you're sitting there." He followed Derek into the back row, kind of glad that they were sitting in the back. It made it more romantic. Not that he expected to me making out with Derek or anything, but it was still nice to have the privacy.

The previews started, and they began to eat their snacks.

"That looks boring," Derek noted as they saw a preview for some war movie.

"A fall asleep in your seat kind of movie," Eric agreed.

"For sure," Derek said with a nod.

None of the previews looked all that great. Eric was kind of disappointed, for he wanted an excuse to go see another movie with Derek in the future.

He held back a sigh. He just wished he knew if Derek liked men, or if he preferred women. It wasn't exactly something you could ask someone.

His opportunity to find out suddenly came along when they both reached into the popcorn bucket at the same time, causing their hands to touch. It was so clichéd, and even a bit cheesy, but it was a shot, and Eric was going to take it. That is, if he could work up enough nerve.

_Dare I?_ He knew he had to act fast if he wanted to test out his theory. It would be nervy, but hey. Derek hadn't taken his hand out of the bucket, so that had to be a sign at least.

Without giving himself a moment more to think about it, Eric gently brushed his fingers against Derek's. If Derek turned out to not be gay, Eric knew he could always chalk it up as an accident. However, he didn't have to worry about that, for Derek let his fingers brush his in return. Actually, it was more of a caress.

Eric dared to look at him, and he was happy to find Derek grinning at him.

Eric grinned as well, feeling his heart beating overtime again.

Derek then went back to eating his popcorn as if nothing odd had just occurred.

Eric glanced at him for a moment, but his eyes remained on the movie screen.

Once Eric was sure that Derek wasn't going to look at him or flirt with him anymore, he followed suit, and concentrated on the screen. Then, he felt Derek's hand resting overtop of his on the armrest.

He glanced at Derek, but Derek's eyes didn't move from the screen.

Eric went back to watching the screen as well, but still he couldn't help but smile to himself. Derek was gay. He had no doubt now.

~GG~

Eric couldn't stop grinning as he entered into the apartment. His date with Derek—and yes, he could officially call it a date now—had gone better than he had even imagined. He grinned even wider as he thought back to the reason it could officially be called a date.

_They were talking about their favorite parts of the movie, and what parts were the funniest. Of course, they both agreed on everything. They were laughing as they took turns quoting the movie._

_ Then, Derek stopped outside of the theater. "Well, I better be going now. I promised Mitchel I'd help him and Gia move. Gia's moving into a cheaper apartment with her best friend since their third roommate is moving out of state."_

_ "It's nice of you to help them." Eric did love when someone helped others. It showed they weren't selfish._

_ Derek nodded. "Yeah well, he's my roommate and Gia's his girlfriend, so I kind of feel obligated." _

Eric nodded. _So, "feeling obligated" took a little away from the gesture, but Derek was helping nonetheless._

_ "I really enjoyed spending time with you today. I'm so glad I met you. I don't have a lot of friends, as pathetic as that sounds, so..." Eric trailed off, hoping he didn't sound like a total loser._

_ Derek placed a hand over his shoulder, and looked him in the eyes. "Don't worry about it. I don't have many friends either outside of my roommates. I'm really glad I met you too."_

_ Eric didn't know how on earth he got the courage to do what he did next, but somewhere inside him, he gathered up the courage, and just went for it. It was almost as if someone else was taking over his brain._

_ He leaned in, and kissed Derek straight on the lips. He had gone in fast, but his lips lingered when he realized that Derek wasn't going to push him away._

_ After a brief moment of kissing, Eric broke the kiss, his head reeling from the fact that Derek had kissed him back. "That was nice."_

_ Derek grinned. "That is was." He winked. "I really have to go, but I'll call you tomorrow?" _

_ Eric nodded. "Yes! Give me your phone. I'll program my number into it."_

_ "Give me yours," Derek ordered as he handed his phone over to Eric._

_ Eric took Derek's phone and handed Derek his. They programmed their numbers into the other's phones, then took their own phones back._

_ "I'll call you tomorrow." Derek leaned in and kissed Eric's cheek, then hailed a cab, and was gone just like that._

_ Eric grinned. He wanted to walk home. He didn't care if it was a few blocks away. The sun was shinning, and he felt as if he was walking on air._

"Well, good evening! You look rather happy!" Rufus said as Eric entered the apartment.

Eric smiled, and sat down at the island facing Rufus, who was sitting on the couch, reading the paper. "I am! I just got back from a date."

Rufus set the paper down, and raised an eyebrow. "Really? What's his name? Is he cute?" He grinned.

Eric laughed. "It's Derek. Eric, and Derrick. Funny, right?"

"Like a sign!" Rufus said with a nod. He winked.

Eric blushed. "I thought so too, not to sound corny. And, in answer to your question, yes, Derek is very cute. Think of a young Neal Patrick Harris."

Rufus smiled. "Well, I don't have to be gay to know Neal is a good looking man, so Derek _must_ be cute!"

Eric jumped off the island stool, and headed over to Rufus. He sat down on the coffee table. "He is! He's funny, and we like many of the same things. Plus, our date went so amazing today. It was our first one." He then proceeded to tell Rufus about his and Derek's date, ending with the kiss. He felt a little embarrassed telling Rufus about it, but he thought of Rufus as a father. Besides, he wanted to tell _someone_. He'd feel too weird telling his mother or sister. He planned on telling Jenny about it, but it just wasn't the same when it wasn't in person. He knew he could trust Rufus, and that Rufus would never tease him or make him feel weird or embarrassed about anything.

"Well, I'm happy for you, Eric." Rufus pat his shoulder. "You deserve to find love."

Eric blushed. "We'll, we've only just met, and that was only our first date, but I can see it turning into love."

Rufus grinned. "I'm gonna go take a nap. Your mother should be home shortly. She and Chuck are busy doing some more scheming against Russell together. Maybe we can order a pizza in for dinner tonight when she gets back."

Eric nodded. "Sounds good."

Rufus then headed up the stairs, and Eric headed to his room as well.

Once he got there, he lay down in his bed, and hugged his pillow.

He thought about what Rufus had said about him finding love. It would sure be nice to find love again. It really would. However, he didn't want to make the same mistakes of his past, so he was going to take things slow with Derek. For now...

He smiled at the thought.

~GG~

"So he _kissed_ you?" Jake asked.

Derek nodded. "It was so disgusting! I think he thinks we're in love now."

Jake and his girlfriend Jessica laughed as if it were the most funny thing in the world. Though, to them in their drunken state, it currently was.

Derek, his two roommates, and their girlfriends were all sitting on the floor, lounging on pillows and beanbag chairs as they passed a joint around, and drank their beers. Derek had just gotten done telling his friends of his little "date" with Eric that day.

"So you didn't know he was gay until he kissed you?" Mitchel asked, a little amused, though not quite as amused for, unlike his friends who were on their third beers, he had only had one beer.

Derek shook his head. "I didn't suspect it at first. I thought he was just a nice kid who was stuck in the rain and needed some help. It wasn't until we arrived back at his place that I recognized him as that hot chick Serena's brother.

Gia smirked. "You mean _thee_ Serena that is the topic of 99% of Gossip Girl's posts?"

Mitchel answered for Derek. "That would be the one! Derek saw her in a restaurant once and asked her out. She turned him down, saying she currently wasn't really into dating anyone, and that she wanted to stay single for a while. Days later, the news hit that she had started dating some dude named Dan."

Gia laughed, and took another sip of her beer. "So she totally burned you!" she said to Derek.

Derek shrugged. "She isn't all that hot anyway. I was over it as soon as she rejected me."

"Then why did you want her to begin with?" Jessica asked with a giggle. She was on her fifth beer.

Derek shrugged. "Temporary insanity. Anyway, like I said, I'm over it. Back to Eric. I asked him out because I thought I remembered hearing in the media somewhere—some tabloid probably—that Eric Van Der Woodsen is gay. So, I thought it might be fun to check it out just for kicks. At lunch, I could tell he was trying to figure out if I was gay or not. He kept asking all these questions about who I lived with, and if I was seeing anyone. He thought he was being subtle, but he wasn't."

"He sounds cute in an adorable kind of way," Gia stated.

Derek rolled his eyes. "He's a good looking guy, but that's beside the point. I had a strong feeling the rumors about him weren't false. I kept coy on whether or not I liked guys."

Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"

Derek shot her a nasty look as Jake and Mitchel burst into laughter and high fived each other. "_No_, I do not like guys. In fact, the whole faggot thing makes me sick! It wasn't until in the theater when we both reached for the popcorn, and his fingers purposely brushed mine that I knew for sure he was gay."

"So, did you punch him in the stomach, tell him to get the hell away from you, and dump the popcorn over his head?" Jake asked with a smirk.

Derek shook his head. "No, I caressed his fingers back."

"Wait. I thought you weren't into the whole 'faggot' thing," Gia said, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"I'm not!" Derek insisted. "I just thought I'd play along to see how far he'd go. For the fun of it. After the movie, we were joking, laughing, and having a good time, and then I told him I had to go. Then, he kissed me so fast I didn't even have time to react."

"Did you kiss him back?" Jessica asked with a smirk. It was she and Gia who high-fived this time.

Derek glanced at them in annoyance. "Yes, but only because it's all part of my plan."

"What plan?" Mitchel asked; curious.

Derek smirked. "All faggots are disgusting, and they need to be taught a lesson. Any faggot whom I can teach that lesson I will. I consider it my public service to the world."

Jake nodded. "I agree. It will be one less faggot to worry about."

"What are you going to do?" Gia asked.

Derek shrugged. "For now, I'm going to play along. However, whatever I decide to do, it will teach him a lesson he will never forget."

Jake clapped a hand over his back. "I'll be here to help if you need me."

Derek grinned. "Thanks!" He nodded at Mitchel, and pointed his beer at him. "You in?"

Mitchel shrugged. "I believe being a Homo is wrong, so sure. It might be fun to make him see the error in his ways."

Derek grinned. "'Make him see the error in his ways.' I like that!" He downed the rest of his beer, then nodded at Mitchel. "Toss me another one."

Mitchel tossed him another one.

Derek opened the bottle and took a swig. Then, he grabbed the joint from Jake, and took a long drag. Tonight was for getting wasted. Tomorrow was for thinking of a way to bring the faggot down.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Though straight, I am the least homophobic person. I only use the anti gay references for story purposes only. The only characters using them are bad people, so that can be expected from them. ;) Thank you for reading! xoxo- Judy_

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 3: Weaving the Web**_

"Good morning, Mother!" Eric said, kissing his mother's cheek as he headed down to the breakfast table.

Lily smiled, and quickly kissed his cheek in return. "Well, you're in a good mood!"

Eric grinned. "I have a feeling things are going to start going well for me. What's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes!" Rufus chimed in from the kitchen.

Eric and Lily both shot him a surprised look.

He grinned. "I'm only kidding. Of course it's waffles." He winked.

"Actually, I was hoping you were for real. I'm kind of getting sick of waffles," Eric said, plopping himself down across from his mother at the table.

"Well, then, make your own damn breakfast!" Rufus said.

Eric's mouth dropped open.

"Rufus!" Lily chastised.

Rufus laughed. "It was a joke! Eric, if you'd like pancakes, I'd be more than happy to make them for you."

Eric sighed. "Thanks, but waffles are fine. Just maybe you could mix it up a little from time to time is all I'm saying."

"I'll keep that in mind," Rufus said.

He dished out their food, and moments later, they were all sitting together at the table.

"Thank you, My darling," Lily said, giving her husband a quick peck on the lips.

"Mm, you're welcome!" Rufus said, kissing her in return.

"Seriously? At the table now?" Eric asked.

Lily rolled her eyes at him.

Rufus grinned. "As if you don't do the same thing with Derek."

Eric blushed.

"Derek?" Lily's interest had been piqued. She raised an eyebrow. "Who is Derek?"

Eric looked down at his waffles. "I didn't want to say anything until things became more serious. I've only just started seeing him. If you can even call it that."

"Seeing who?" Lily turned her attention to her husband. "How do you know about this and not me, his own mother?"

"I prefer not to talk about my love life with my mother," Eric said, looking at Lily now, but still blushing.

Lily nodded. "I can understand that, but I'm your _mother_. You have to tell me _something_." She looked at Rufus again. "How come _you_ didn't tell me?"

Rufus shrugged. "It wasn't my place to tell." He took a bite of his waffle.

"Mom, it's nothing, really. We went on one date to lunch and a movie. We met when I got caught in the rain with no money for a cab. I bumped into him, he offered me money for a cab, and I refused because I didn't want to take a stranger's money. He insisted on walking me home with his umbrella. We talked along the way, hit it off, and, sorry to sound clichéd, the rest is history." Eric didn't feel the need to mention the kiss. After all, there were some things you just didn't tell your mother.

"Well, is he nice? Is he cute? Tell me al the details!" Lily pressed, a delighted smile on her face.

Eric had had enough. He held up his hands. "You know what? I'm full. I'm going to my room to make a call." He got up and emptied out the remainder of his breakfast in the trash, then rinsed his dish and silverware, and put them in the dishwasher.

"Is the call to Derek?" Lily asked in a sly tone.

Eric winced. "When it gets more serious, I'll give you all the deets, Mom. I promise."

He then practically jogged up the stairs to avoid any further hounding from his mother.

He entered his room, then shut and locked the door behind him. He then grabbed his cell phone (so that there'd be no way his mother could pick up and listen on another phone) and lay down on his bed to call. There was no way he was going to give his mother all the deets, but whatever got her off his back...

He dialed Derek's number, and grinned when Derek answered.

The smile was still on his face when he answered back. "Hey, Derek, it's Eric. Wanna hang out today?"

~GG~

Derek smirked. He had Eric hooked on him already. It didn't surprise him, really. All the ladies were hooked on him, so why shouldn't the gay men be? Not that he wanted anything to do with faggots, but it still felt nice to have people want you—whether you could stand them or not. "Hey, Eric. You know it! What do you want to do?"

"Well, lunch and a movie sounds so clichéd. We did that last time anyway. Do you have any suggestions?" Eric asked.

_Yeah, how about I beat the crap out of you?_ But it was too soon for that. Derek had plans for Eric before it got to that—big plans. So, instead, he suggested they go bowling. "I know it's kind of lame, but I figured maybe we could go tonight once my friends are out of school and off of work. I can introduce you to them. We can order a pizza and nachos for dinner while we're there."

Eric didn't seem to mind. "That doesn't sound lame at all! In fact, that sounds kind of fun! I'd really like to meet your friends. I just hope they like me."

_They'll find you as disgusting as I do, I'm sure. _Instead, Derek said, "Are you kidding me? How could they not love you?"

Derek could practically see Eric's smile as Eric responded. "You're too kind."

"It's the truth! So, what are you doing today?" _Like he really cared._

"Actually, to tell you the truth, I don't have much planned yet for today. I know we're doing dinner and bowling tonight, but do you want to do lunch together, just the two of us?" Eric asked.

_Like I really want to have to see you twice in one day. _"Oh, I'm sorry, I have class until three." _Thank God for small favors._

"Oh. Well, all right then. Do you want me to meet you at your apartment? Where do you live?"

Derek rolled his eyes at Eric's overeagerness. "You know what? Why don't we just meet at the bowling alley? I have to shower and stuff after I get back from school, so it would just be easier for me."

Eric sounded slightly disappointed, but he didn't voice it. "Oh. Well, all right then. Which alley?"

"Lucky Strike Lanes good for you?" Derek asked.

"That's perfect!" Eric agreed.

"Great! We can meet there at six o'clock then," Derek stated.

"I'll be looking forward to it," Eric said, sounding insanely happy.

_I bet you will. Wish I could say the same for me._ "Me too." _Not._

"See you tonight!" Eric said cheerily.

_That's all ready been established, Moron._ "Yep! Have a good day. Bye." Derek hung up the phone before Eric could keep him on any longer. He made a face. "Ugh! What I don't do to make sure a faggot learns his lesson."

He got out of bed then, and searched for some clothes to wear to school. He figured some tight-fitting jeans, and an even tighter fitting black T-shirt would do the trick. He loved to get the ladies going wild for him. Not that it ever took much. Tonight, however, he would change. After all, he didn't want that disgusting Homo perving on him.

~GG~

Eric was thrilled. He had only just met Derek, and already Derek wanted to introduce him to his friends! How perfect was this going? For once, something was finally going right for him in the love department, and this time we was not about to screw it up.

He looked through his closet, trying to find something suitable to wear for meeting your boyfriend's (that's what he had to be now that he had asked him to meet his friends) friends. In the end, he found that there was nothing.

"Well, it looks like I'm going to have to go shopping!" he said to himself with a grin. For being gay, he wasn't big on shopping, but, when it came to a special occasion such as this, he was willing to make an exception. So, he headed out, bent on finding the perfect outfit for impressing a boyfriend and his friends.

~GG~

"I can't believe I let you talk us into this," Jake said with a snort.

"These shoes are so freaking ugly," Jessica said, looking down at her bowling shoes in distaste.

"I don't know. I think you look dead sexy in them!" Jake quipped.

Jessica twirled a string of hair around her finger. "Really?" she asked, taking a brief break from chewing of her gum. Her Brooklyn accent was especially thick tonight for some reason.

"Yeah, as in, I'd have to be dead to think those shoes look sexy!" Jake said with a laugh.

Jessica gasped, and swatted Jake hard on the arm.

Jake rubbed his arm and laughed even harder. "I'm sorry, Baby. You're right. Those shoes are ugly, but you look beautiful in anything."

Jessica spit her gum out on the floor, then wrapped her arms tightly around Jake. "Aw, that's my baby!"

Jake grinned, and they kissed.

"I want you guys to see what a loser he is. Once you get to know him, maybe you can help me figure out more ways to have him falling hard for me," Derek stated.

Gia raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't like him and wanted to teach him a lesson?"

Derek shot her a look. He got very annoyed when people didn't understand his plan. Especially when it was so obvious. In fact, next to faggots, stupidity was the thing he tolerated the least. Too bad Gia was his buddy's girlfriend, and that he had to put up with her. "I want him to fall hard for me. The harder he falls, the more it will hurt him when I crush him."

Mandy winced. "Won't that be a little cruel?"

Derek sighed. "Isn't being gay a sin?"

"Well, yes, but—"

Derek cut her off. "And, aren't you a Christian like your boyfriend?"

Gia nodded. "Yes, but I don't see why you can't just teach him a lesson without having to make him fall for you first."

"It drives the point home deeper," Derek said simply.

Gia shrugged, then headed over to the computer to see if Mitchel needed any help adding their names.

"I say do whatever you have to do to teach that piece of garbage a lesson," Jake said.

"Yeah, don't let that disgusting loser get away with being a faggot," Jessica said.

Derek smirked as he saw Eric enter the bowling alley. "Don't worry. "I won't."

Eric spotted them. He grinned and waved, then headed on over. He put at arm around Derek, and kissed his lips. "Hey."

Derek blushed a bright red crimson. So now the little fag thought they were boyfriends now? He thought that they could kiss in public in front of his friends like it was the most normal thing in the world? Oh, heck no! This kid totally had it coming to him. In fact, he was more determined to make him pay now than ever before.

The looks on his friends faces only added to his anger. Jake had a look of disgust. Jessica had a look of half curiosity, half turned on. Gia looked shocked, and Mitchel looked completely uncomfortable.

Derek put on a smile, though it was as fake as fake could be, and it took all his energy and self control to do so. He then wrapped an arm around Eric, and kissed him back, wanting to puke in his mouth. "Hey! We're just setting up our names."

"Sounds good!" Eric said.

Derek nodded at his friends. "This is Jake and his girlfriend Jessica."

Jake nodded at Eric. "'Sup?" He asked before taking a sip of his beer.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you," Jessica said, extending her hand to Eric.

"It's nice to meet you guys too," Eric said with his polite, pretty boy smile. He nodded at Jake, and shook Jessica's hand. "Hey, I like your top."

Jessica looked down at her low-cut, ruffly, floral top. "This ol' thing? Aw, thanks! I got it at Target." She snorted.

Eric grinned.

_Why, do you want to wear it, faerie boy? He probably thinks she's cheap for shopping at Target. He's so use to shopping at the name brand stores since his mommy has money. They're all the same. Only not only is he a rich snob, but he's a _gay_ rich snob. He oughtta be shot!_ Derek thought, all the while keeping the fake smile on his face. He nodded at Mitchel and Gia. "And that is my good buddy Mitchel and his girlfriend Gia."

Gia smiled at him and shook his hand. "It's very nice to meet you. Derek has told us so much about you. He's really crazy about you."

Eric's whole face lit up. "Really? Well, I'm pretty crazy about him too."

Derek, who had been scowling at Gia as she gave him a wicked grin, quickly grinned as well when Eric smiled at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Eric." Mitchel clapped a hand over Eric's back. "We figured we'd do guys against the girls, but, with you, there's an extra guy, so maybe you can play for the girls?"

Jessica snorted loudly. "Well, that's appropriate!" she muttered.

Gia elbowed her.

Eric didn't seem to heave heard or noticed. "Sure! Let's kick some butt, ladies!" he said with a grin to the girls as he picked out a ball from the rack. "I gotta go up and pick out some bowling shoes."

He set his ball on the rack, then left to get the bowling shoes, and Jake and Jessica burst into laughter.

"The faerie can play with the girls where he belongs!" Jake said.

"Girls against guys," Jessica said with a smirk.

"You guys are so mean," Gia scolded, thought she was smirking herself.

Mitchel took a sip of his Pepsi before commenting. "He seems nice enough, but a little too overeager. And what the heck was he doing kissing you like that? Gross! Like we all needed to see that. Though, you did kiss him back."

Derek blushed at the reminder. "I seriously wanted to puke. I swear I only kissed him back so that he wouldn't get suspicious. Believe me, the only reason I'm even giving that faggot the time of day is so I can teach him a lesson."

"Sh! He's coming back," Gia whisper warned.

Eric came back and held a foot out. "Look at these—orange and yellow. How ugly are these?"

Derek smirked. "Well, they look good on you because you can make even the ugliest of things look good."

Eric blushed and smiled. "You're too kind."

Derek placed an arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. _Enjoy it while you can, because soon, you're going to see just how nasty I can get!_

~GG~

Eric came home that night feeling as if he were floating on air. Derek's friends had been so nice to him! He and the girls had laughed and had a blast trying to beat Derek's team. He and the girls had lost, but Derek, Mitchel, and Jake paid for their pizza nachos, and sodas as a "conciliation prize," as they had put it.

After bowling, they had all gone to the club and danced for hours. It was one of the most fun times he had had in his life.

When the night ended, Derek pulled him away from Jake and the others and gave him the sweetest kiss goodnight. He also invited him to a picnic lunch at the park tomorrow at noon. Derek said they could spend the rest of the day together after that.

With a sigh of happiness, Eric headed up to his room. Rufus and Lily must have already gone to bed.

He stripped down to his underwear and through on a tee-shirt, then climbed into bed. He wanted to text Derek before going to sleep.

_I had a really great time tonight, and I enjoyed meeting your friends. They're all really great. I hope we can all hang out together a lot more. Love, E._

He pressed send, and waited for Derek's response. A few minutes later, he got one.

_Me too. They all loved you. You were a hit! :) I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Xoxo- Derek_

Eric grinned, and texted back once more.

_Not as much as I am. Meet you there at noon as planned. -E_

He pressed send, then turned off his phone, set it on his nightstand, laid down, and prepared to sleep. He had a feeling he'd be having some sweet dreams tonight.

~GG~

Derek rolled his eyes as he read Eric's latest text to him.

"Is Lover boy texting you already about tomorrow?" Jake asked with a snicker.

Derek rolled his eyes. "I can't take it anymore! He's got to be taught his lesson. I'm going to spend the day with him tomorrow only because I want him to fall even deeper in love with me, which will only hurt him more when we teach him his lesson.

"But what if he wants to bring you home for a little man on man action at night, if you know what I mean?" Mitchel asked.

Derek scrunched his nose. "You'r disgusting!"

Mitchel shrugged. "I'm just being realistic."

Derek shook his head. "Well, I'm not going to have to worry about it because nighttime is when the plan will go down."

"And what exactly is the plan?" Mitchel asked.

Derek grinned wickedly. "I'm so very glad you asked." He leaned in closer and explained the whole plan to his two best friends and roommates.

Jake clapped him over the back once he had finished. "I like the way you think!" he said toasting his beer to him before taking a sip.

"I don't know. Isn't that kind of mean?" Mitchel asked.

Derek shot a look at him. "Since when did you become a faggot lover?"

Mitchel held up his hands in defense. "I'm not! Homosexuality is a sin. I'm down with your plan. I just thought it might be a little mean is all."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, that faggot deserves anything we give him. Tomorrow, we attack. Are you guys in?" He held out a hand.

"You know _I'm_ in!" Jake said, placing his hand over Derek's.

Jake and Derek both looked at Mitchel.

Derek nodded at him. "You in?"

"I just said I was," Mitchel said putting his hand in.

Derek and Jake both grinned.

"Tomorrow!" Derek yelled.

"Tomorrow!" Jake and Mitchel chimed in.

They threw their hands in the air to seal the deal.

Derek grinned, and grabbed a beer. He then texted Eric back.

_Not as much as I am, trust me._

He hit send, then turned his phone off. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough, for tomorrow, the faggot would pay.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: I'm sorry each chapter takes so long, guys. I go through depression and don't feel like writing sometimes. I promise to try to make these more frequent. I hate quitting stories, so I don't intend to quit this one! This is a double chapter to kind of make up for the time it took. Thank you to all who are reading and reviewing still. I truly appreciate it. -Xoxo Judy_

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 4: Take Your Punishment**_

Eric smiled at himself in the full length mirror as he buttoned the third to last button of his white, green and blue plaid shirt. He had paired it with khaki-colored cargo shorts that went just below his knees. On his feet, he wore brown sandals. He had even gone as far as getting a pedicure at the Red Door Salon. Of course, it was a clear polish instead of color that was on his toes. After all, he wasn't _that_ gay!

He made sure to leave the top two buttons of his shirt open. He hoped it would entice Derek. He and Derek hadn't been as affectionate as he wished lately, so he was hoping to change that.

After coming his hair out just a bit more, he spritzed on his Green Ralph Lauren Polo cologne, then headed down the stairs. He was happy that his mother was out shopping with Rufus. He didn't feel like getting the third degree from her about going on a date.

He grabbed the picnic basket from the kitchen island then, with a smile, got into the elevator and headed out for his picnic lunch date at Central Park. He could hardly wait!

~GG~

Derek rolled his eyes as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing jean shorts that went just above the knee with a blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt with the buttons unbuttoned. He tossed on some matching blue socks and his white Nike sneakers, then spritzed on his Blue Ralph Lauren Polo cologne.

"Look at you, lookin' all preppy!" Mitchel came up behind him and clapped a hand over his back as he looked in the full length mirror with him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were actually falling for him." He made a clicking noise with his tongue, and winked at Derek in the mirror.

Derek shoved him hard to the side, causing him to topple onto the bed.

Mitchel laughed, and held his hands up in defense. "Sorry, Bro, but I don't like you in that way. I don't think it's very appropriate for me to be on your bed!"

Derek rolled his eyes and flipped him off. "I know what Eric wears, and what he likes. He said before he finds it sexy when a boyfriend wears stuff he himself would wear. What a freak! I'm only dressed this way in a last attempt to make him fall for me even more before I crush him tonight."

The smile dropped from Mitchel's face. "Look, are you really sure you want to do this? I know he's gay, but he seems like a really nice guy."

Derek shot a look at Mitchel, and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care? Are _you_ starting to fall for him?"

Mitchel's expression turned to one of disgust. "Hardly! I just don't know why you feel the need to be so mean to him when he has been nothing but nice to you."

Derek rolled his eyes and sighed. He was so tired of explaining this a million times. "Um, because he's a faggot! You know that's a sin. I'm surprised you're suddenly pro homophobia, given your Christianity. Unless you suddenly stopped becoming religious." He raised an eyebrow at Mitchel.

Mitchel shook his head. "No, I did not stop becoming a Christian. I just think Christians need to show a little compassion is all. We shouldn't be beating people up just because they are gay."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a Christian, so, I can do what I want. He's gay, and he needs to pay." Derek was not going to back down on this one.

"Why do you hate gays so much? Especially if you're not religious?" Mitchel asked.

"Who says I'm not religious? I used to go to church every Sunday when I was still living with my parents. Just because I don't go anymore, doesn't mean I'm not still a God-loving Christian such as yourself," Derek defended.

Mitchel fought to not roll his eyes. "You sure don't act like it," he mumbled under his breath.

Derek either didn't hear him, or didn't care enough to respond. "Anyway, fags are disgusting, and we don't need to be exposed to that kind of garbage." He looked at his watch. "I gotta go. I'm going to be late as it is. Are you going to show up tonight, or are you going to be a little baby and chicken out?"

Mitchel sighed. "I'll be there."

"Good!" Derek nodded at him. "See you tonight at ten o'clock sharp! And don't forget to come prepared." He winked at Mitchel, then left the apartment.

Mitchel sighed, and threw himself down onto his back on the bed. Why he let his friend talk him into things he really didn't want to do, he would never know.

~GG~

Eric grinned when he saw Derek arrived looking smoking hot, in his opinion, in his jean shorts and Ralph Lauren polo.

He pat the blanket beside him. "I was afraid you weren't going to show up! I hope everything is all right," Eric said once Derek had arrived at the blanket.

Derek sat down next to him and kissed him. "Sorry. I wanted to look perfect for our date today, so I took a little bit too much time getting dressed. I swear I had to try on like a dozen different outfits before I found the right one."

Eric blushed. "Well, you look pretty hot to me. Great choice!"

Derek grinned, and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Love."

Eric felt his heart pound. _He called me love!_ He was grinning so wide and so hard, his face was beginning to hurt. He knew he was acting like a girl, but Derek had just called him love, so right now, he didn't care if he was acting like the girliest of girls.

"So, this looks like quite a spread you have out here," Derek said as he observed the Subway foot longs subs, small chip bags, two-liter Pepsi bottle, and a pan of brownies.

Eric blushed. "I'm not much of a cook. I even tend to screw up something as simple as sandwiches. So, I dropped by Subway and picked us up a lunch. I did, however, manage to make brownies, but that was simple because all you have to do is follow the instructions on the box. Then again, I haven't tasted any yet, so hopefully we won't die of food poisoning." He winked.

Derek laughed. "I'm sure they will taste just fine."

"Also," Eric continued, "I figured it might be a little bit too early in the day to drink, so I just got us some soda. I hope that's all right."

Derek placed a hand overtop of Eric's. "You worry too much. Everything is perfect. Thank you so much for going through all this trouble."

Eric smiled. "You're worth it! I've really been looking forward to today."

"Me too. I'm always so happy when I get to be with you," Derek replied.

Eric's smile widened. "Likewise."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "You're happy when you get to hang out with yourself?"

Eric laughed. "I mean, I'm always happy when I get to hang out with _you_."

Derek laughed too. "I know. I was just messin' with ya!"

Eric smiled, then picked up a bag of chips and tossed it to Derek. "I figured I'd stick to plain chips so that neither of us gets bad breath."

Derek caught his chips and raised an eyebrow. "Why would it matter if we have bad breath?"

Eric's smile faltered. "I just thought in case we..."

"In case we what?" Derek teased.

Eric blushed. "Well, in case we wanna..." He trailed off, surprised at himself for being so shy.

Derek moved closer to him, then pulled him in for a deep and passionate kiss on the lips. "You mean, in case we wanna do that?"

Eric grinned again. "Exactly." He licked his lips and, shyness now gone, pulled Derek into another kiss. He sighed against Derek's lips with contentment as Derek hungrily kissed him back.

~GG~

_I'm going to have to brush my teeth twenty times and rinse for an hour with Listerine!_ Derek thought to himself after yet another disgusting kiss from Eric. Gosh, he could hardly wait for this date to be over! After they had finished their lunch, which at least hadn't been bad, Eric wanted to go for a walk. Of course he had insisted on holding hands, and now kissing. He seriously wanted to barf in Eric's mouth, then take a hot shower and scrub every disgusting trace of Eric off his body. That is, after he was finished with the detoxing of his oral region.

Eric's face lit up when they came to the playground. "Oo, let's swing!" He planted himself down on one swing, and patted the swing beside him.

_You're fricking kidding me_, Derek thought with disbelief. _How old is he now?_ "I'm not really much of a 'swing' guy," he said, holding his hands up in defense.

Thankfully, a little kid came running over to the swing beside Eric's and sat down.

Eric pouted for just a few seconds. Then, his pout turned into a smile. "Well, you can push me then. Please?"

_I'd like to push you all right! That is, push you down to the ground then kick the living daylights out of you._ Instead, Derek put on a big smile. "I'd love to!" he said as he headed behind Eric. He gave Eric a gentle push, using all of his strength not to do exactly as his fantasies requested.

"Come on," Eric teased, "you can do better than that!"

Derek grimaced, and pushed Eric slightly harder.

Eric laughed as he flew a little higher into the air on his swing. "That's better!" he said.

Derek kept the same pace for a moment, but his anger and annoyance was building up, so he gave Eric an even harder push this time.

Eric laughed. "I'm really soaring now!"

He was so fricking corny! So fricking gay! He wanted higher, well he was going to get higher! With an even more forceful push, Derek pushed Eric again.

Eric's laughter faltered a bit. "Okay, maybe a little lighter now, please. I'm going to fall off if you push me any higher."

_That's the idea..._ Derek thought as he pushed even harder. "Aw, but it's so fun to fly high! You won't fall. Just hang on tight!"

"Derek, please! It's too high!" Eric cried out.

"I'm sorry, what?" Derek asked, using all the strength he had in him to give Eric one final hard push.

"Derek, stop it!" Eric yelled harshly.

Derek slowed Eric down. He had had fun, but he couldn't blow his cover. Not now. Not until it was time to teach Eric his lesson.

"I'm sorry," he said, stepping in front of Eric, once the swing had finally come to a stop. "I got carried away."

"You should have stopped right away when I asked you!" Eric said, his face flushed. He looked angry.

Derek sighed. He guessed it was time to lay it on thick, as much as he hated to. He took Eric's hands in his own. "You know I never would have let you fall." He kissed Eric's hands. "You're safe with me. I promise."

Eric's face softened a bit. "I didn't feel too safe when you wouldn't listen to me."

Derek squeezed Eric's hands. "Well, from now on, I promise to listen to you. Now, what do you say we go do something else? I've had enough of the park, and I'm sure you have too."

Eric nodded. "I don't feel like carrying a picnic basket around town. Do you mind if we stop at my place first?"

"Not at all." Derek helped Eric out of the swing, then put one hand back to his side, though he kept his other hand in Eric's.

Eric squeezed his hand as they headed out of the park.

Derek sighed an inward sigh of relief. He had to be more careful. He couldn't ruin this. No, tonight was too important to ruin. Eric had to pay, and it had to be tonight. It would be. Derek would see to it that it was.

~GG~

Eric had been a little put off by Derek at first. After all, he had practically screamed at Derek to stop pushing him on the swing, and Derek had seemed to think it was some kind of game, trying to scare the crap out of him. However, Derek had apologized, so he guessed he forgave him. Now, come to think of it, maybe going on the swings had been kind of juvenile. Eric had just thought it might be romantic to swing on the swings with or be pushed on a swing by the one you love—like on TV and in the movies. Now, after what happened, he felt kind of dumb. Swinging was a girl thing, and so not him. Apparently, it wasn't Derek's thing either. Derek was far too mature for such a juvenile pastime. At least now Eric knew.

After the park, they headed back to Eric's. Everyone was out, so Eric brought Derek in to give him a tour of the apartment. He certainly wouldn't have done that had Lily or even Rufus been home. He didn't feel like having them interrogate Derek.

"Wow." Derek whistled. "You have quite a place here! Your parents must be loaded."

Eric smirked. "Thanks. You could say that." He felt it a little rude for Derek to mention his parents' financial state, but he supposed Derek hadn't meant it that way. After all, he had complimented the place.

When they got up to his bedroom, he was a little self-conscious, but a little excited as well. I felt thrilling to have Derek up in his bedroom. Sure his ex boyfriends had been in his bedroom before, but it was always when Jenny was in the room next door, or Lily was right downstairs. Now, they were alone. And he really, really, liked Derek—maybe even loved him.

Derek sat down on the bed, and lay down on his back. "Mm, this bed is comfortable."

Eric smiled weakly. "Yeah, I sleep pretty well on it." He was starting to get a little nervous now. He knew what _he_ wanted, but whether or not Derek wanted it was something he wasn't quite sure of. "So, is there anything I can get you? A drink, a snack, anything?" Eric asked, trying to rid him self of the awkwardness.

Derek licked his lips, his eyes locked with Eric's. "Just you." He held out his arms.

Eric took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Did Derek mean what he thought he meant? Or did he just want to cuddle?

"Come on!" Derek coaxed. "I don't bite." He grinned. "That is, unless you want me to." He winked.

Eric couldn't help but grin as well. He climbed into bed next to Derek, suddenly feeling a little more comfortable.

Derek held him close for a moment, then began to kiss him.

Eric sighed into the kiss and closed his eyes, deepening the kiss, and enjoying kissing the one he loved. Yes, he realized. He really did love him. He knew they had just met not that long ago, but it was enough time for him. He loved Derek. He was sure of it.

Derek grinned against Eric's lips and rustled in his pocket for something. Eric broke the kiss to see what Derek had pulled out of his pocket. It was a condom.

He swallowed hard.

Derek seemed to notice his hesitancy. "You don't want to?"

Eric could feel his heart pounding so hard in his chest, he was afraid it might break through. "No, I want to." He really did. "I've just never done this before."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Really? Not even with your past boyfriends?"

Eric shook his head. "I was never quite ready."

"Well, if you're not ready now, we don't have to. You're worth the wait," Derek said, making a motion to put the condom back into his pocket.

Eric quickly shot out a hand to stop him. "No. I'm ready."

Derek licked his lips, and gently stroked Eric's cheek with his free hand. "Are you sure? There's no rush. I won't think any less of you if you want to wait."

Eric shook his head. "No, I'm sure. I don't want to wait any longer. I love you. I'm ready."

Derek grinned. "I love you too. So much." His eyes lowered, and he kissed Eric softly on the lips. He then slowly began to unbutton Eric's shirt. Once he got it off, he slipped the shirt off and to the floor.

Eric unbuttoned Derek's shirt then, his hands shaking like crazy as he did so. He got Derek's shirt unbuttoned, off, and down to the floor. Then, he undid Derek's navy cloth belt, his eyes never leaving Derek's. His hands fumbled just as nervously with the zipper and button as they had with Derek's shirt buttons, but eventually he got Derek's pants off and to the floor, leaving his black cotton boxer-briefs on. Eric had been too shy to take those off.

Derek grinned. "Now it's your turn." He gently lay Eric down onto his back, then undid Eric's shorts button with a simple flip of his thumb. Then, he slowly pulled the zipper down with his teeth.

Eric sucked in a breath, then slowly let it out.

Derek got Eric's pants down and off. Derek hadn't been as shy about taking Eric's boxers off as Eric had been about taking off Derek's boxer-briefs.

Eric blushed.

"There's no need to blush," Derek said with a grin. "You're beautiful." He ran his hands slowly down Eric's stomach, and kissed from his chest down to his abs.

He then reached down to his pants on the floor, and grabbed something else out of the pocket.

Eric saw that it was a travel packet of lubricant. "You sure came prepared," he said with a nervous laugh.

Derek grinned. "One should never be caught unprepared." He winked. He ripped open the packet with his teeth, then leaned down and kissed Eric passionately as he placed the condom.

"Just take it slow, all right?" Eric whispered.

"I promise," Derek murmured against his ear.

They kissed once more, then Eric sighed. This was it. He was going to lose his virginity to someone he loved. He just hoped it would be as special and wonderful as he had always dreamed it would be.

~GG~

"Is anyone is the shower?" Derek asked as he entered his apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"No, why? I thought you were going to be out all day with Eric," Mitchel, who was working on a term paper at the table, stated.

"I was, but after sleeping with him, I couldn't stomach the sight of him any longer. I have to go scrub my body like a thousand times." Derek shuttered at the memory of having sex with Eric. What made it even worse was having to kiss him and pretend like he loved Eric more than anyone on the planet. He should earn an Oscar for that performance.

"You _slept_ with him?" Mitchel asked, looking a little sick himself.

Derek nodded. "I had to! It was the one thing I could do to make him fall the hardest for me."

"I don't even now what to say to that," Mitchel said.

"You don't know what to say to what?" Jake asked, coming out of his room just then. Judging by the fact that he was only wearing his boxers, and his hair was messed up, Derek assumed that he had just woken up. On his days off from work, Jake liked to sleep until dinner.

Mitchel nodded at Derek. "He slept with Eric."

Jake laughed. "No way! When?"

"About an hour ago." Derek shivered. "I had to. I almost screwed it up with Eric, so I had to make sure that I fixed it." He went on to explain what had happened with the swing at the park.

"What a pansy!" Jake said with a laugh. "Wanting to swing and be pushed in the swing is enough to beat him up to begin with. Him being gay is the icing on the cake!" he said with a snort.

Derek nodded. "I know, right?" He sighed. "So, anyway, I slept with him to make him fall in love with me, and to make him forget what I had done earlier."

"So, how was it?" Jake asked.

Mitchel glanced at him.

Jake shrugged. "What? I'm just curious. I bet it was disgusting."

Derek nodded. "So disgusting it took all I had in me not to hurl. It got to the point where I had to close my eyes and envision Cameron Diaz. Ugh! I have to go shower now. I have a thousand washes to take care of tonight. Did you know he was a virgin? Ha! He's really going to be torn apart once he hears it was all an act on my part."

"Well, you did your task of making him fall hard for you, I'm sure. You're going to ruin him tonight," Mitchel said, actually looking as if he felt bad for Eric.

Derek grinned. "That's the plan! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go scrub my body raw."

"Don't worry, Derek. He's really going to pay tonight," Jake stated.

Derek nodded. "You're damn right he will! We attack at ten p.m. sharp. I'm going to take him out to dinner and a movie, and then I'll tell him I have a surprise for him. Then, I will lead him to the alley that we agreed upon."

"Where we'll be waiting to teach him his lesson," Jake finished.

Derek nodded. "Exactly!" He grinned. "I knew I could count on you guys!" he said as he headed into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

He turned on the shower water as hot as he could stand it, then stripped off his clothes, and got in.

He moaned. "Mm..." Tonight, the faggot was finally going to pay.

~GG~

Eric changed from his khaki shorts into a pair of jeans and a black leather belt. He couldn't help grinning as he looked at himself in the mirror. It wasn't because the jeans made him look really good. Though that did help. It was because he was no longer looking at the reflection of a virgin. He was looking at the reflection of a man. He was no longer a boy. He was a man who had made love with the love of his life. He didn't even care if he hadn't known Derek for long. He didn't need to know him any more to know that he was irrevocably in love with him.

He sighed with contentment. It had felt wonderful. The pleasurable sensation mixed with the giddy feeling of love was the best thing he had ever felt before. And he was eager to feel it again.

He grinned even wider, then spritzed on some fresh cologne. He had wished that Derek had stayed after their lovemaking. Heck, they were supposed to have spent the whole day together. But Derek had said he was tired and needed to go home to sleep for a few hours. He said he wanted to be nice and refreshed for whatever might happen later that night.

Eric was grinning so hard his cheeks hurt now. He had a feeling he knew what Derek had meant by "might happen tonight." He had a feeling there was no "might" about it. Which was totally fine by him.

Derek had called Jenny and spent an hour on the phone telling her about Derek. Then he had watched TV to help him pass the time.

Finally, it was time for their date. He was to meet Derek at their favorite restaurant, and then they would eat, and go to a movie after that. Then, Eric hoped they would come home for a little dessert.

With one last grin, he headed down the stairs and out of the apartment, glad that Rufus and Lily were out on a date and not there to give him the third degree.

When Eric arrived at the restaurant, Derek was already waiting for him with a smile that could light up the world in Eric's opinion. Derek kissed his cheek, then held his hand as they waited to be seated. When they got seated, Eric saw that it was a corner table.

"I made sure to call ahead and reserve the best table in the house," Derek told him with a wink.

Eric smiled, then kissed him, so glad that he had such a thoughtful boyfriend.

Dinner had been amazing. The food was to die for, and they had shared each other's meal so that they could get a taste of two meals instead of just one. They even split a slice of cake for dessert.

"We have to save room for our other dessert after all," Derek had said to Eric as he held Eric's hands in his own. He kissed them.

Eric had smiled and blushed.

Derek paid for everything—even the movie! Though, they were too busy making out to really notice much about what the movie was about. That was one of the many things Eric loved about Derek. He loved to make out in movies. Elliot was always too interested in the move to pay any attention to him. Jonathan was too shy to make out in public. Derek was neither too interested in the movie, nor was he shy.

After the movie, Eric was ready to take Derek home. He figured maybe it was time to introduce him to the parents. After all, he couldn't keep sneaking him behind Rufus' and his mother's backs.

"Do you want to come back to my place and meet my parents? Or is it too soon?" Eric asked as they headed out of the theater and onto the street, hand-in-hand.

Derek kissed him. "Sure! I'd love to meet them. But first, I have a surprise for you." He winked.

Eric grinned. "A surprise? For me? What is it?"

Derek grinned. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

Eric shook his head, and smirked. "Well, no. I guess it wouldn't!"

Derek nodded in the direction he wanted to walk. "Come on! It's not far from here. Let's go!"

Eric let Derek practically drag him away. He laughed, so happy and so eager to find out what his surprise was going to be. He was sure, whatever it was, as long as it came from Derek, he was going to love it.

~GG~

"This is it!" Derek said with a grin as they arrived at the alley. The night before, he and his crew had searched the streets until they found the perfect alley. Lucky for them, there were many alleys to chose from in NYC. This particular one was between an abandoned warehouse, and an old apartment complex whose main tenants were crack whores and people who were on welfare. It was a bad part of town. That's what made it so perfect. It wasn't busy like Manhattan. They weren't likely to be seen. People in this neighborhood minded their own business. They knew that was what was good for them.

"Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but why is my surprise all the way out here? It's kind of scary out here," Eric said.

Derek rolled his eyes. It wouldn't matter now if Eric saw him do so. "Scary? What are you, five years old?"

Eric shot him a look. "Okay, dangerous, if you prefer."

"Your surprise is in this alley. It was so big, it had to be hidden outside. I knew no one would find it in the alley," Derek explained, not even caring if his excuse didn't make much sense.

Eric snorted. "Are you kidding me? People practically _live_ in alleys in this neighborhood."

"Relax! Your surprise is still there waiting for you. Trust me." Before Eric could protest any more, Derek grabbed his hand and practically dragged him into the alley.

"Derek, I don't feel comfortable here. I wanna go home please," Eric stated.

"Aw, but you haven't even gotten your surprise yet!" Derek said.

Before Eric could respond, Jake, Mitchel, and Jessica stepped into the light. There wasn't much light. There was one dimly lit street light at the other end of the alley. It cast just enough light for Eric to see whom it was that had stepped in front of him.

Eric looked nervous.

Derek smirked. _As he should be!_

"What are you guys doing here?" Eric smiled, but his smile was clearly not wholehearted. It didn't take a mindreader to see the kid was nervous as hell.

"We're here to teach you a little lesson on why being a faggot can be dangerous to your health," Jake said with a grin. He began to punch his left palm with his right fist.

"E-e-excuse me?" Eric asked with a nervous stutter.

Jessica cackled. "'E-e-excuse me?'" she mocked. "What are you, deaf too?"

"I-I don't understand," Eric said, his grip on Derek's hand tightening a bit.

"What's there to understand? You're a dirty, disgusting, faggot, who needs to be taught a lesson for not abiding God's will!" Mitchel snapped.

Eric looked up at Derek. "Derek, let's go. These people clearly aren't the friends we thought they were."

Derek shot a cold, hard look at him. "The friends, 'we' thought they were?" He laughed. "Since when are they your friends too?"

Eric looked shocked. "Whatever. I just figured since you and I were dating—"

Derek cut Eric off. "Don't you get it, Fag Boy? We were never dating!"

Eric's mouth dropped open, and he released Derek's hand. "Why are you talking to me like this? And of _course_ we're dating. Why would you say we weren't?"

"Because he's been playing you all this time, you idiot!" Jessica snapped.

"You needed to be taught a lesson," Mitchel stated. "Being gay is a sin."

"I can't help the way God made me," Eric said, sounding a little more calm.

Derek smirked. He wouldn't be so calm if he were Eric.

"Why would He make something He despises?" Mitchel asked with an amused laugh.

"God doesn't despise me," Eric stated.

"But _we_ do," Jake said, picking up a two-by-four.

"Derek, I wanna go now. Please!" Eric said. He was worried again. Even more so than before.

Derek shook his head. "No, I'm gonna stick around for a while. I wanna see how this all plays out!"

"Well, I'm going!" Eric said, starting to walk away.

Derek quickly grabbed his arm and threw him back against the brick wall of the warehouse.

Eric winced as the back of his head hit the bricks. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, rubbing his head.

Derek narrowed his eyes. "Getting ready to teach you a lesson." He took a baseball bat that Jessica handed him.

Eric's eyes filled with fear. "This is some kind of joke, right? You got me!" He laughed nervously. "I mean, you're gay too, so..."

Derek laughed. "You know, you're not very smart. I've been playing you all along! I'm as straight as it gets! Every time I had to kiss you, it took everything in me not to throw up in your mouth!"

Eric looked crushed. "But you said you loved me! You... You made love to me."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Oh, please! That wasn't making love. That was sex! I only had sex with you so that you would fall even harder for me. That way, once who found out I don't give a shit about you, it would hurt as much as what we're about to do to you will. Well, maybe not as much as what we're about to do for you, but it's extra hurt nonetheless."

"So all this time you didn't love me it all? Bagging me was just some kind of game to you to teach me a lesson?" Eric asked. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Jake said. "Derek, I think, since this was your plan, and you made the faggot think you actually loved him, you deserve to be the first to give him a prize. Tell him what he's won!" Jake said.

Derek grinned. "Don't mind if I do, Jake!" He banged the bat against his hand, and inched closer to Eric.

Eric backed against the wall. "Derek, no. Please. You don't wanna do this. I know you like me at least a little bit! I mean, you made love to me."

Derek was angry now. "I told you, it wasn't making love, it was sex, you idiot! A hole is a hole! It didn't make me gay at all. In fact, I had to picture Cameron Diaz so that I wouldn't throw up all over you, you sick faggot!"

Before Eric had time to think, Derek swung the bat hard, and hit Eric's shoulder.

Eric cried out in pain, and grabbed his shoulder. He tried to run, but Jake blocked his way, and hit him hard in the face with the board he was carrying.

Eric cried out, and fell to the ground.

Jessica then kicked him in the head, and Mitchel kicked him hard in the ribs.

Eric was screaming by now.

Derek needed him to shut up, so he began beating him repeatedly with the bat. "Shut up you mother fricking faggot! Shut the hell up!"

Eric held up his hands. He was sobbing now. "Please, stop! I don't want any trouble."

Jake smirked. "You should have thought of that before deciding to be a faggot now, shouldn't you have?" He whacked Eric's hands with the board.

Eric cried out loudly in pain, his hands and arms instinctively dropping.

Jessica was on one side of Eric's ribs, kicking him hard, and Mitchel was on the other side of his ribs, kicking him hard.

Eric was screaming, and crying out in pain. "Somebody help me! Please somebody help me!"

"Shut up!" Derek said.

Eric continued screaming. "Help! Help! Somebody help me!"

"I said, shut up!" Derek held up his bat. "I'm warning, you, Van Der Woodsen! Shut the heck up!"

But Jake was slamming the board over Eric's legs, and Jessica and Mitchel were still kicking him, so Eric didn't stop crying out in pain.

"**I told you to shut the hell uuup**!" Derek snapped, dragging out the up. He had to shut Eric up before someone heard him. He _had_ to. So, he did the only thing he could think of to shut him up. He pulled his bat back as far as he could, then slammed it down hard over Eric's face.

A cracking sound was heard, and it wasn't from the bat.

Derek grunted as he kept beating Eric—in the stomach and chest now—with the bat.

"Derek, enough! I think he's learned his lesson!" Mitchel said.

But Derek wouldn't listen. He used all the anger that was in him to beat Eric over and over.

"All right, I'm bored. Let's go home," Jessica said.

Jake nodded. He placed a hand over Derek's shoulder. "Derek, we need to get out of here. You've done a good job. He's learned his lesson."

Sirens could be heard in the distance, so Derek knew Jake was right. They needed to get out of there. Still, he didn't feel done yet.

"Come on, you're done. Let's go!" Mitchel yelled.

Derek sighed. Eric was already unconscious, but he gave Eric's face one last slam of the bat.

"Let's go, now! We don't have much time! The sirens are getting closer!" Mitchel called back to him.

Derek saw Eric's wallet laying on the ground beside Eric. It must have fallen out when he fell, Derek figured.

He quickly grabbed the wallet, and put it into his pocket. Then, without a second thought, he took off into the night, leaving Eric lying on the alley ground in the dark, alone and dying.

~GG~

Eric lay cold, unconscious, and alone in the alley.

The paramedics rushed over.

One medic felt for a pulse.

"Is he alive?" the other medic asked.

"Barely. We need to get him onto a stretcher and to the hospital immediately. He's lot a lot of blood. I don't know how much time we have. Careful with his head. It looks like severe trauma," the first medic stated.

The medics carefully got him onto the stretcher, and into the ambulance.

"We need to hook him up to a monitor for cardiac monitoring. We need to get a ventilator in him too. His breathing is shallow. I also want to make sure he isn't hemorrhaging. It looks like he's gotten some quite nasty blows to the head," a third paramedic stated once the stretcher was in the ambulance.

The first medic shut the doors of the ambulance, then they were off to the hospital.

"Do you think he's gonna make it?" the second medic asked the third medic.

"I don't know," she replied with a shake of her head as she looked at her patient. "He's been beat up pretty badly. We won't know for sure until a doctor checks him out and sees how much internal damage was done. Judging from the outside, things might not be good. This kid must have done something to tick somebody off big time! Do we have name?"

"No. I checked, but his wallet was gone. It looks like he might have been robbed," the third medic stated.

The third medic shook her head. "The poor boy should have known not to hang out in this part of town. Especially in a dark alley."

The other two medics nodded their heads in agreement as they looked down at their patient's unconscious body with pity.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 5: Wake Me Up When It's Over**_

"Mm, good morning, my love," Lily said when she opened her eyes to see her husband propped up on his elbow, watching her. She grinned. "Were you watching me sleep?"

"You're so beautiful when you sleep." Rufus kissed her bare shoulder. "I couldn't help it."

Lily arched an eyebrow and smirked. "So I'm not beautiful when I'm awake?"

"Nope!" Rufus said without missing a beat.

Lily gasped. Rufus Humphrey, you are so not getting any for a month!" she said as she hit him with a pillow.

Laughing, Rufus held his arms up to shield himself. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding! You know you're the most beautiful woman alive—sleeping _and_ awake. You always will be."

Lily set the pillow down, ceasing her attacks. "You better mean that."

Rufus took her into his arms and kissed her. "With every fiber of my being."

Lily's eyes lowered and they kissed for a moment.

Lily broke the kiss and licked her lips as she stretched. "I hope we didn't wake Eric when we came home last night. I can't believe you kept me up so late last night."

Rufus smirked. "Didn't it feel good to let your hair down for the first time in years?"

Lily shrugged and pat her hair. "I've been wearing my hair down a lot more than usual."

Rufus smirked. "You know what I mean."

Lily smirked as well. Her smirk turning into a full-blown smile as she thought about the night before. She and Rufus had gone out to dinner, then a movie. Then, they had done a lot of shopping. They had come home for just a moment to drop their bags off, then they headed out again and went to a club. It had been Rufus' idea.

"We've been through so much lately, don't you want to just get out and enjoy yourself? At least for one night?" Rufus had asked her.

She had been hesitant at first, but Rufus was a smooth talker. He always had been.

"Come on, don't you want another taste of your wild child days and my rockstar days?" His smile made her heart pound just as hard as it had the first time she had ever seen him smile. "It's 80's night at Touch." He gently nudged her.

She smiled too, not being able to help herself. "What are you going to do, go up and sing karaoke?" She had been joking, but he took her seriously.

He shrugged. "Sounds fun. Who knows? Maybe I'll even bring my girl up there with me." He winked.

Lily laughed. "All right, we can go to a club. But I am _not_ doing karaoke with you! I've gotta draw the line somewhere!"

Rufus grinned, and took her hand. "We'll see." He winked at her.

Lily didn't like that mischievous look in his eyes, but she went anyway. She'd go anywhere with her husband.

So, a clubbing they had went. They danced closely together in the big clump of sweaty bodies. It was so not the new Lily, but completely the old Lily. And, for a while, Lily was taken back to the days of being a teenager, and the days of being in her early twenties. Those were the days. She had Rufus had a blast dancing to all their favorite songs from when they had first started dating. Boy had they brought back memories!

After clubbing, they had gone to a karaoke bar, because Rufus had just insisted. He sang a few songs by himself, and was quite popular with the crowd.

By the time Rufus had called her up to song with him, she had had enough drinks in her to make her agree. It also helped that people were cheering her on.

She and Rufus sang "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.

Everybody had cheered for them, and Lily had to admit, they sounded pretty darn good. Okay, so she kind of sucked as a singer, but her husband had carried her enough. Besides, when you had enough alcohol in you, _everyone_ sounded good. And, judging from the crowd, they had more than enough alcohol in them to make her sound good.

When she and Rufus had gotten home, they had made love. They had tried to be quiet, but Lily wasn't sure how quiet they had actually been. She blushed at the memory. Poor Eric was going to need a therapist for sure. Maybe two.

"Still thinking about last night?" Rufus asked with a smirk as he ran his hand up her lace nightgown.

She grinned. "Last night was perfect and fun, but now I really should check on my son. We weren't exactly quiet last night, you know."

Rufus grinned. "Eric's a big boy. He can handle it. Now, since he probably already heard us last night, one more time's not going to kill him." He tried to slide off Lily's underwear, but she stopped him.

She placed her hand over his and gently moved it away. "Maybe later. I feel bad. I'm going to go check on Eric."

Rufus groaned, but lay on his back in defeat. "Oh, fine."

Lily smiled at him and kissed his lips. "Later, I promise."

"You better not just be saying that! I need a cold shower as it is," Rufus said.

Lily grinned, and kissed her husband one more time before getting out of bed and putting her robe on. Then she headed out to check on her son.

~GG~

Rufus had just worked up enough strength to get out of bed for his shower when Lily came into the room looking worried. "Eric's not home."

Rufus shrugged. "Maybe he just left early to get some breakfast or something." He grinned. "He probably didn't want to have to look at us after what he heard last night."

Lily shook her head. "His bed was made. What if he didn't come home last night? We had just assumed he was already home when we got home last night. He definitely didn't come home since we were home. I would have heard him."

Rufus still wasn't worried. "He probably just made it before he left this morning. You know what a neat freak he can be. Either that or he stayed at Derek's for the night. I wouldn't worry about it, Lil. Eric's an adult. He knows how to take care of himself." He pat the space beside him on the bed. "Come on. Stop worrying about him, and let's just enjoy having the place to ourselves." He wriggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Lily sighed. "Rufus, I'm really worried about him. I just have a bad feeling. Call it mother's intuition or whatever you want to call it, but something isn't right. I can feel it."

"Try calling him on his cell phone," Rufus suggested.

"I already tried that. He's not answering," Lily said, her expression looking more worried than before. "I texted too, and got nothing."

"Try again," Rufus ordered, feeling a little nervous himself now.

Lily did as told, but got voicemail.

"_Hi, this is Eric. You know what to do at the beep! If I like your message, I promise to get back to you ASAP. If not, well, maybe next time." Beep!_

"Eric, this is your mother again. Please call me back. I'm worried about you. If this is about last night, I'm sorry. I won't happen again. Just please call me, all right?"

Lily hung up.

"I don't know if it will never happen again," Rufus said with a smirk.

"Rufus, it's not funny. I'm really worried about my son and you should be too! You may not be related by blood, but you're still more of a father to him than William is," Lily said, texting Eric again without looking up.

Rufus sighed, and got out of bed. He walked over to Lily hand put a hand over her shoulder. "You're right. I'm sorry. He'll be all right. Lil. Maybe Serena's heard from him. Why don't you call her?"

Lily nodded. "Good idea."

She dialed Serena, but judging from the look on her face, and the conversation from her end of the line, Serena hadn't seen or heard from Eric either.

Lily then proceeded to call Nate, Chuck, and Blair, while Rufus called Dan and Jenny.

When they were both done with their phone calls, the news was the same—no one had heard from Eric.

Blair had told Lily that she was going to ask Gossip Girl, so all Lily and Rufus could do was hope that Eric was spotted.

"Oh, Rufus, what if something horrible has happened to him?" Lily asked with worry.

Rufus took her into his arms and kissed the top of her head as he gently rubbed her back. "He's going to be fine Lil. I promise."

Lily rested in Rufus' arms, not looking any less worried.

Rufus sighed, and continued to soothingly rub his wife's back. The truth was, he was worried himself. If Gossip Girl didn't hear anything, he would call around the hospitals when Lily wasn't around. He didn't want to worry her any more than she already was. He just hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.

~GG~

Lily's heart thudded hard in her chest when she heard the bleep on her cell phone that alerted her of a text. She hoped it was someone who had seen Eric!

With shaking hands, she opened her phone, and looked down at the name.

"Who's it from?" Rufus asked, coming up beside her.

Lily swallowed a lump in her throat. "Gossip Girl."

Rufus nodded at the phone. "Open it."

So, with shaky hands, Lily opened the text and read the text. Her face turned pale and her legs wobbled once her brain had taken in what the text had read.

"What is it?" Rufus asked with concern as he held his wife to stop her from dropping to the floor.

"Someone spotted him at the hospital. She says whomever saw him said he was pretty banged up and unconscious. My son is in the hospital, Rufus I have to go be with my child!" Lily was frantic now.

Rufus took the phone from his wife's shaky hand before she could drop the phone. He read the text. "All right. It says he's at Harlem Hospital. What on earth was he doing in that part of town?"

Lily, who was already waiting by the elevator, whipped around to face him. "Does it really, matter, Rufus? My son is in the hospital for God knows what reason, and you're worried about what he was doing in that part of town?"

Rufus slipped on his shoes and rushed into the now open elevator beside Lily. "You're right. I'm sorry. Let's just go find out what happened and, more importantly, if he's all right. I'll call Serena and Dan and tell them what's going on."

Lily nodded. "Thank you." She rested against Rufus who hugged her with one arm and called Serena with his free hand.

_Please, God,_ Lily silently prayed, her eyes closed. She usually wasn't a prayer type of woman, but right now, she needed all the help she could get. _Please let him be all right. Please, Please don't let my son die! Please._ Right now, prayer was her only option. Lily had never felt more helpless in her entire life, nor had she ever been more scared. And the worse thing was, there wasn't a darn thing she could do about it.

~GG~

"Where is he? Where's my son?" Lily asked as soon as she got to Harlem Hospital's information desk.

"Who is your son, Ma'am?" the nurse behind the desk asked.

"Eric, Eric van der Woodsen," Rufus answered for his wife, who was far too frazzled to think straight.

The nurse shook her head. "I don't know if we have anyone by that name here."

"How do you not know? Are you stupid? Look it up on your computer!" Lily snapped.

The nurse held up her hands. "Ma'am, please just calm down. I'll look it up, but I don't remember anyone by that name being admitted. I've been here since midnight last night."

Lily's eyes narrowed. "Calm down? My son is in the hospital, possibly seriously injured, and you want me to calm down?"

Rufus held his wife tight, and nodded at the nurse. "I'm sorry. She's just worried and stressed out right now."

Lily pushed him away. "Don't apologize for me, Rufus! How dare you patronize me like that?"

Rufus held up his hands. "Lil, I'm not trying to patronize you. I just think it's best to stay calm and rational. I know it's hard, but you need to be calm and rational for Eric's sake."

Lily sighed. Then, she turned to the nurse. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm just really worried about my son."

The nurse gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's all right." Her expression turned serious. "We have no Eric van der Woodsen listed. However, we did get a Joh Doe in last night. He had no form of identification, and he has been beaten pretty badly. We think he may have been mugged since he had no wallet on him. Let's face it, Harlem is not the best part of town to be in at night. There's all sorts of dangers on the streets at night."

"About the John Doe, what does he look like?" Rufus asked.

"It's hard to tell, he was beaten so badly, but he's got dirty blonde hair—more on the darker side. He looks to be late teens, early twenties.

"That's him!" Lily cried out.

Rufus rubbed her back. "Can we please see the boy to make sure?" he asked the nurse.

The nurse nodded. "I want to warn you ahead of time. He was very badly beaten and is in critical condition, so he's not a welcoming sight. He's in ICU. I can take you to his room if you'd like. He's still not conscious."

Lily was sniffling now, and Rufus held her closer. He nodded at the nurse. "Please. Thank you."

So the nurse led them a little ways down the hall until they got to the room.

"Lil, do you want me to go in and check?" Rufus asked her. "You can wait out here if you'd rather."

Lily shook her head. "No. I need to see if that's my son."

So, Rufus took Lily's hand, and together they followed the nurse into the room.

As soon as they saw Eric lying lifeless-looking in the bed, his face beaten so badly, his nose in a splint, an IV in his hand, and a tube coming out of his throat, Lily broke down and began sobbing hysterically.

Rufus nodded at the nurse, feeling as if he was going to throw up. He couldn't of course. He had to be strong for Lily's sake, even though the last thing he felt right then was strong. "That's him," he practically whispered. Oh gosh, it was him.

~GG~

"I don't understand how this could have happened to him! He never goes to that neighborhood!" Lily sobbed against Rufus' shoulder.

Rufus held her close. "Let's just wait for the doctor. I'm sure everything is going to be okay," he said. He honestly didn't know what else to say to her. After all, what _could_ you say to a mother who just saw her child badly beaten, lying unconscious in a hospital bed?

Lily looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. "And how would you know that he's going to be okay, Rufus? Are you a doctor?"

Rufus' face fell a bit. "I'm just trying to soothe you. I hate seeing my wife so worried or sad. Not that you don't have a reason to feel the way you're feeling. I just mean—"

Lily cut him off. "I know what you meant. I'm sorry. I don't mean to take this out on you. You've been great. Thank you. I love you." Lily took his face between her hands and kissed him softly on the lips. "I'm just so worried about Eric right now, I can't even think straight."

Rufus nodded, and gently stroked her back. "I know." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm worried too."

The doctor came in, and Lily instantly became hysterical again. "What happened to my son?"

"We're Rufus and Lily Humphrey. Eric is my wife's son, and my stepson," Rufus explained with a polite nod. He was going to offer a hand to the doctor, but wasn't sure how that worked sanitation-wise.

The doctor nodded at them. "I'm Doctor Jacobs. It's nice to meet you. I'm just sorry it had to be under these circumstances." The doctor kept eye contact with both parents. "We're not a hundred percent sure what happened since your son has yet to regain consciousness, but, from the looks of it, he was badly beaten. It appears to have been a robbery gone bad, but again, we can't say for certain until your son wakes up and can tell us what went on."

"So, he _will_ wake up?" Rufus asked, feeling the relief wash over him.

"To be honest with you, I don't know. Things are looking good, yes, but at this point, it's touch and go. He has a few broken ribs, a broken nose, and a broken leg. That's not even mentioning all the bruises that cover his body. Whomever beat him up did quite a number on him. I'm not a detective, but I'd say, from the amount of damage done to your son, the attacker wasn't alone," Dr. Jacobs explained.

"But he's going to be okay, right? My son's not going to die. Tell me my son is not going to die!" Lily ordered, frantically gripping onto the doctor's arm.

Dr. Jacobs looked down at her hand.

Rufus gently pulled his wife away from the doctor, and held her close while he stroked her hair.

Dr. Jacobs sighed. "Mrs. Humphrey, I'm really not sure at this point. He has had major head trauma and there was some internal bleeding not only in the brain but in his abdomen as well. Thankfully, the bleeding in the brain wasn't too excessive and we were able to stop in time before it got too serious. However, his coma may be attributed to that. As for the bleeding in the abdomen, it caused him to go into shock, so we had to give him a transfusion. His body seems to be accepting the transfusion, and we were able to stop the bleeding, so we'll just have to see how it goes from here. I have to say this though. If your son doesn't wake up by tomorrow, it may be a sign of brain damage."

"Why can't you tell now if there's any brain damage or not?" Lily asked.

"Mrs. Humphrey, sometimes it's only detectable once the patient is awake," Dr. Jacobs said simply. "I must say though, with the extent of the damage that was done to his head, staying unconscious for a great period of time wouldn't be a good sign.

"So what am I supposed to do, just sit here and wait for my son to wake up? Sit here and _hope_ that my son wakes up?" Lily asked.

Dr. Jacobs looked sad for her. "That and pray. It's all we can do. I'll leave you alone with your son." He politely ducked out of the room.

Rufus gently rubbed her back. "You know, sometimes if you talk to a coma patient, they can hear you. Why don't I go down to the cafeteria and get us something to eat while you talk to him?"

"I'm not hungry," Lily stated.

Rufus rubbed her back. "I'll bring you up something just in case you change your mind." He kissed her cheek, then gently pat Eric's shoulder. "You wake up for us, Buddy, you hear? We need you." He leaned down and kissed his stepson's forehead, then left the room, leaving his wife some alone time with her son. He knew she needed it.

~GG~

"Eric, my baby..." Lily took her son's hand in her hands and kissed it. She sniffled. "Who did this to you? Hm? Who did this to my baby?"

The sound of the machines Eric was hooked up to was driving Lily insane. "I promise you, whoever did this to you is going to pay. You can count on _that_!"

Just then, Serena and Dan came rushing into the room.

"Oh my gosh!" Serena exclaimed. She covered her mouth at the site of her brother, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Eric!"

"What happened to him?" Dan asked.

"The doctor thinks he was robbed and beaten. His ribs, leg, and nose are all broken, and he had bleeding of the brain and abdomen. If he doesn't wake up tonight..." Lily burst into tears again, and covered her face with her hands.

Dan and Serena walked over to her, and placed their arms around her.

"What, Mom? Tell us," Serena said quietly.

Lily looked up at her daughter and stepson. "They say he could have brain damage."

"What? No!" Serena said, sinking down to her knees and crying.

Dan placed an arm around Serena, all the while keeping one around Lily. "He's going to wake up. Eric is a strong kid. He's going to be fine." He looked at Eric. "Right, Eric? You're going to wake up for us and tell us who the son of a bitch is that did this to you."

Lily sniffled.

"Mom, can I please have a moment alone with my brother?" Serena asked.

Lily sniffled. "Sure. All right." She stood up.

"Come on, Lily. Let's go get you something to eat, or at least drink," Dan said, helping to lead his stepmother out of the room.

"Rufus is in the cafeteria. Why don't you go see him? I'm good. I don't want to stray far from my son," Lily stated.

"We don't have to be long. Serena will be with him. He'll be fine. Come on. You need to get something in you to keep your strength up for Eric," Dan ordered, leading his stepmother away.

Lily sighed. "I guess when you put it that way. But just for five minutes!"

Dan nodded. "Just for five minutes. I promise."

Reluctantly, Lily let her stepson lead her down to the cafeteria, but it didn't lessen her worries one bit.

~GG~

Serena sat down next to her brother, and held his hand. Then, she just stared at him for a moment. "Eric, who did this to you?" she asked after a moment. "You have to wake up you know. You have to wake up and tell us who did this to you so that we can make those idiots pay! More importantly, you have to wake up so that you can get better. Don't let those idiots win! Don't let them get away with this! Mom needs you, Dad needs you, Rufus needs you, Dan needs you, Jenny needs you, and most of all _I_ need you, Eric! You can't just leave us all. I'm your big sister, and I've always been there for you when I could be. So now it's your turn. You need to get out of that damn coma and wake up! You need to wake up and get better and tell us who the sons of a bitches are that did this to you. Then we can make them rot. I promise you we will. But first, Eric stop being a big baby and wake up! Don't let a little beating keep you down! You're Eric van der Woodsen got gosh sakes! You don't take crap from anyone. You never have and you never will, so Eric, wake the hell up!" Serena yelled.

Eric's eyes remained closed, and all that could be heard was the sound of the machines.

Serena sniffled, and wiped her eyes. She couldn't see her brother like that anymore. "I'm going to go call Dad and see if he is almost here." With that, Serena stood up, then turned to leave.

"You always were the kind to give tough love."

Serena stopped in her tracks and whipped around toward the sound of her brother's voice. She cried out in happiness and covered her mouth as the tears fell down. "Oh my gosh, Eric, you're awake!"

"No, I talk when I'm in comas. Didn't you ever know that?" Eric's voice was weak, but he managed to crack a smile anyway.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Leave it to you to joke when you've just come out of a coma." She ran over to him and hugged him, being careful not to hurt him. "I knew yelling at you would get you to snap out of it!"

Eric licked his lips. "Yeah, well now it's my turn. Don't beg Dad to come. If he wants to come, he will."

Serena shot him a look. "Dad was incredibly worried about you when I called him to tell him what happened. You should go a little easier on him."

Eric shrugged, then winced as if the motion had hurt him. With all the broken bones he had, it probably _had_ hurt him. "Well, then let him show up. I'm sure the guy doesn't want to be pestered if he's already in a hurry trying to get here."

"Do you remember what happened to you?" Serena asked.

Eric was quiet for a moment as if thinking. "No, I don't. I remember walking along, being hit hard by something, and then waking up here."

Serena's face sank a little. "Well, maybe you'll remember later."

"Eric?"

Serena looked to see her mother, Dan, and Rufus in the doorway.

Eric grinned. "Hey, Mom."

"Oh my gosh, Eric, you're awake! Oh my Son, my Darling son, you're awake! Oh, thank God!" Lily ran over to Eric and hugged him.

Eric winced. "Careful with the ribs, Mom."

"Sorry. I'm just so happy!" Lily said, tears welling in her eyes. She smiled at her son, then went back to hugging him.

Rufus grinned, so happy his stepson was awake. For, the truth was, he had been starting to get seriously worried. But, now, Eric was going to be fine, and they could all rest easy. Well, once the sons of a bitches who did that to Eric payed that was. And Rufus was hell bent on making them pay. After all, nobody hurt his family and got away with it. _Nobody_.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 6: Be Careful What You Wish For **_

It had been a week, and Eric was finally home from the hospital after what felt to Eric, like an eternity. The doctors had wanted to make sure he was in good enough condition to come home. They didn't want him to go home and then later have a set back. According to Dr. Jacobs, he was having a miraculous recovery, but still had to take it easy and come back in a week to make sure his recovery was still coming along okay. His ribs hurt like hell if he didn't take medication every four hours. His leg didn't hurt, but it was still a pain to have to lug around a heavy cast. His nose was only slightly sore, but if he sneezed, it felt like he was being punched in the nose.

To top it all off, he was being pressured to remember who had done this to him. It seemed that the main thing everyone cared about was getting revenge. Sometimes Eric wondered if they cared more about that them him getting better. Deep down, he knew that of course they cared more about him getting better. Still, it was getting a little frustrating to be asked five times a day if he remembered anything at all.

He was frustrated that he couldn't remember. He had played the night back again and again in his mind, and he just couldn't remember anything. Actually, he couldn't remember much about the past couple of _weeks_. Doctor Jacobs said that, with the trauma that had been inflicted upon his brain, it was normal to not remember. Doctor Jacobs also said that it was likely he'd get that part of his memory back, but it wasn't a guarantee he'd get it back.

Eric sighed. He was now lying on his back in his bed, looking up at the ceiling, and just taking everything in. Now that he was in the privacy of his own home and his own bed, he could finally really take everything in. The last thing he really remembered was feeling like he was going nowhere in life. It was ironic that he had almost literally gone no further in life. He guessed there was a Higher Power out there Who was looking out for him, Who and didn't want him dead yet. Lord only knew why.

There was a knock on the door.

Eric sighed. He really just wanted to be left alone, but he didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so he answered. "Yes?"

"Eric, it's Jenny. Can I come in?"

Eric grinned, and sat up quickly. He winced as the pain in his ribs reminded him that he had broken some of them. "Come in!"

Jenny came in, and grinned at Eric. She was holding a brown teddy bear with a red T-shirt. He had a matching red balloon tied to his left paw. "Sorry I didn't make it down earlier. I just figured your style was cramped enough as it was with everyone else fawning all over you."

Eric grinned. "You know me well, but I wouldn't have minded your visiting me. You're my sister and my best friend. You're always welcome."

Jenny smirked. "You didn't always feel that way about me."

"Well, now I do. Close the door behind you, please. After being pestered for a week by nurses, doctors, family, and friends, I'm really craving my privacy. Besides having you here of course." He grinned.

Jenny grinned too, and did as told before walking over to the bed and plopping herself down at the end of it. "I don't blame you." She handed Eric the bear. "Sorry it's so cheesy. I had a limited selection at the airport."

Eric laughed. "It's not cheesy. It's cute. Thanks!" He saw that both the balloon and the bear's shirt had "Get Well Soon" written over it in white.

"So, you don't remember anything about that night?" Jenny asked,

Eric groaned. "Not you too."

Jenny looked down at the bedspread. "Sorry. You must be tired of hearing that question."

Eric took her hand. "Hey. It's all right. No, I don't remember anything about the past couple of weeks unfortunately."

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Really? You don't remember _anything_?"

Eric ignored the twinge of annoyance at being asked that question yet again. He knew Jenny was just surprised. He shook his head. "Not a thing. Do you know how weird that is to have a section of your life missing? Especially when something so traumatic happened to me. I was beat to a bloody pulp and I can't even remember it. I mean, what is wrong with me?"

Jenny placed her hand over his shoulder. "Hey. Don't blame yourself for this, all right? It's not your fault. It's normal for the mind to block out traumatic events. You'll remember when you're ready."

"But what if I never remember? What if whomever did this to me gets away with it?" Eric asked.

Jenny shrugged. "It will suck, but at least you survived and you're going to be all right. That's what matters the most."

Eric smiled. "Thanks, Jenny. You always know just what to say to make me feel better." He hugged her.

Jenny returned the hug, and gently pat his back. "Hey, I'm your sister and best friend. You know I got your back."

They grinned at each other.

"So, how's your body treating you?" Jenny nodded at Eric's broken body. "I hope it's not hurting you _too_ badly."

Eric shrugged. "It's no picnic, but as long as I remember to take my pain medication, it's all right." He lifted his leg. "I just can't wait to get this stupid thing off me."

Jenny nodded. "I can imagine."

"I'm tired of being stuck in bed, unable to do anything fun," Eric grumbled.

"Well, then let's get you out of the house!" Jenny suggested.

Eric laughed. "Yeah, I wish!"

Jenny shrugged. "Why not? You have crutches, don't you?"

Eric nodded. "Yes, but I walk slow as heck on them."

Jenny placed a hand over his shoulder and grinned. "Well, lucky for you, I'm in no hurry to get back to Hudson. It's a bit of a bore. Especially since my mom started dating again. She's always out on a date with her boyfriend. I'm stuck at home with nothing to do but homework. Well, that and making clothes, but even that gets old after a bit. Too much of a good thing, ya know?"

"Your mom has a new boyfriend? How come you didn't tell me?" Eric asked.

Jenny blushed. "I told you about it a couple weeks ago."

Eric blushed too; embarrassed that he couldn't remember things. "Oh. Well, if you can put up with my slowness, let's go out to lunch, and you can refresh my memory about if over lunch."

Jenny grinned. "Sounds like a deal. You paying?"

Eric gasped. "I got beat within inches of my life and you expect _me_ to pay?"

Jenny shrugged as she helped him out of bed. "It's _your_ side of the family that's rich."

Eric laughed. "All right. I can't argue with that!"

They grinned at each other, then prepared to leave for lunch.

Eric supposed it would be good to get out. And who knew? Maybe taking to Jenny could help him remember something important. He could only hope.

~GG~

"This is nice. I feel a little self conscious, but this is nice," Eric stated as he and Jenny sat at a nice corner table at a new bistro that had just come to town.

Jenny swiped away Eric's words. "Please! There's hardly anyone here to stare. No one's paying attention. Besides, I'm sure you're not the first person they've ever seen with a cast on their leg."

"How about a cast paired with a sprint on the nose and bruises all over the face and arms?" Eric quipped.

Jenny looked away. "It's really not that bad."

"I know you're just saying that because you're my stepsister and my best friend, but thank you nonetheless," Eric stated.

Jenny smiled at him, then took his hands from across the table and gently squeezed them. "Don't worry. The bruises will go away, and your nose and leg will heal. Then you'll be your same ol' sexy self." She winked.

Eric smirked. "Oh, so I'm not sexy with a broken nose, broken leg, and bruised face and arms?"

Jenny laughed, and held her hands up. "Hey, you're the one who seems to think that. I'm just humoring you."

The waiter came with their drink orders. "Have you two decided what you would like to eat?"

"Gosh, we haven't even looked over our menus," Jenny said, immediately looking over hers. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I can come back," the waiter said politely.

"You know what? We'll just have the special," Eric said to the waiter.

The waiter looked at Jenny for confirmation.

Jenny closed her menu, and handed it back to him with a smile. "The special will be fine."

The waiter nodded at them. "I will put that order right in."

"Thank you," Eric and Jenny said together as the waiter left to put their order in.

"So, what's the special?" Jenny asked.

Eric smirked. "I don't know, but I guess we'll find out!"

Jenny laughed. "I guess we will. I know the waiter said something about it when he took our drink orders, but I wasn't paying much attention."

"Me neither," Eric admitted. He had been too worried wondering if people were staring at him in his broken state to listen to the waiter.

"So, where's Derek? Has he stopped by to see you at all since the mugging?" Jenny asked as she took a sip of her drink.

Eric scrunched his face in confusion. "Who's Derek?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Really? You don't remember the love of your life?"

Eric was the one to raise an eyebrow this time. "Love of my life? Come again?"

"You called me a couple weeks ago, gushing over this new guy Derek you had just met. You said you knew it sounded stupid, but you thought he could be the one. A week later, you called and said you were sure he was the love of your life. You had been hanging out with him every day. You really don't remember him at all?" Jenny asked in surprise.

Eric tried his best to remember a Derek, but he couldn't remember Derek if his life depended on it. "I really don't. Gosh, I really had a love of my life?"

Jenny nodded. "And from the sounds of it, you were even more into him than you were with Jonathan or Elliot."

"Then how on earth could I not remember him?" Eric asked.

Jenny shrugged. "I guess your last memories are before you met him."

"Still, you would think I'd remember the love of my life," Eric said, hardly being able to believe it himself. He looked at Jenny. "Is he cute? Did I send you a picture?"

Jenny shook her head. "I kept asking you to, but you never got around to it. It's a shame, really. I was eager to see what he looks like. You have great taste in men though, so I'm sure he's hot."

"I wonder if he and I broke up. I mean, it's just odd that he hasn't come to see me," Eric said more to himself than to Jenny.

Jenny shook her head. "From what you told me, I don't think you two would have broken up. Besides, you would have called me right away if you two had broken up."

Eric nodded. "You're right. I would have." He sighed. "I could have looked on my cellphone to see if I had any pictures of us, but I lost my phone in the mugging. I don't know if the mugger took it, or if someone else found it and took it. I have to get a new one."

"We'll get you a new one after lunch then," Jenny said with a wink.

"You're so good to me," Eric stated.

"Hey, what are stepsisters and best friends for?" Jenny asked with a grin.

Eric grinned too.

~GG~

Dinner had ended up being a mango chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes for the sides. It also came with a salad with a delicious house dressing. Both Jenny and Eric had enjoyed it. They got slices of chocolate cake for dessert.

"Mm, there's nothing that cures body pain more than a moist slice of chocolate cake," Eric joked.

Jenny smirked. "Tylenol and Ibuprofen, eat your hearts out!"

"I don't think they have hearts," Eric quipped.

Jenny stuck her tongue out at Eric. It still had cake on it.

Eric wrinkled his nose. "You're so gross!"

Jenny said something, but he was too distracted to hear what she said. His eyes fell upon a guy who looked to be around his age. He had just entered the bistro with a pretty brown-haired girl by his side. For some reason, the guy looked so familiar to him.

Eric didn't know what was drawing him to the guy, but he was so drawn, he couldn't take his eyes off him. Then, as if the guy sensed he was being watched, he looked over, and his eyes locked with Eric's.

The guy's expression turned to one of shock, and Eric suddenly felt sick.

"_Hello_! Eric, are you listening?" Jenny was snapping her fingers at him now.

Eric looked at her.

Jenny looked worried. "Eric, are you all right? You look white as a sheet! Where did you just go? I was talking to you, and it's like you didn't hear a word I said to you."

"I want to go. _Now_." Eric stood up so fast his plate caught on his arm and crashed back down tot he table with a loud thud.

Jenny blushed. "What's the hurry? We didn't even pay the bill yet."

Eric dug into his wallet for the money and tossed down a fifty. The bill had only come to half of that, but he didn't care. He wasn't about to wait around for the change.

"Aren't you going to wait for the change?" Jenny asked. "That's a pretty big tip, and the waiter wasn't _that_ good. He only came back once in between to ask how we were."

"Let's just go, all right?" Eric snapped. He was desperate to get out of there. He had to.

Again, Jenny blushed. "Okay, Eric, this time people are staring, and it's not because of your injuries!"

Eric shook his head. "You know, that would really bother me if I gave a damn, now let's go!"

Jenny looked around, embarrassed that everyone was staring at them. Then she realized Eric was stumbling on his crutches, so she shrugged off her embarrassment, and helped him out of the bistro, wondering what on earth had suddenly gotten Eric so upset.

~GG~

"All right, we're back home, Dad and Lily are on a date, and we have the house to ourselves. Now can you tell me why you got so flustered at the bistro?" Jenny asked the instant they had entered the apartment and the elevator doors had closed behind them.

"Not here. Someone could come in. Come to my room," Eric ordered.

Jenny followed him upstairs and into his room. She watched as Eric locked the door behind them, then she watched him jump into bed.

She sat down beside him on the bed as she saw the tears start to well up in his eyes. She placed an arm around him and looked at him with worry.

Eric sniffled, feeling like he was about to break down.

Jenny looked like she was about to cry herself. "Eric, please, just tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me. It's not like you to act like this."

Jenny had so much concern in her eyes that Eric knew he could tell her without her judging him. "I remember," he whispered.

"What? You remember? What do you remember?" Jenny asked.

Eric sniffled. It had all come back to him when he had seen Derek at the bistro. It was like a crack on the ice that rapidly spread in width until it opened up the floodgate of water, or in his case memories. He now remembered everything. Every traumatizing and heartbreaking event.

He looked Jenny in the eyes, not even sure if he could say it out loud. He managed to say it, but it came out as more of a whisper. "I remember everything. I remember who did this to me." Oh how he wished he hadn't now. How he really, really wished he hadn't.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 7: You've Been Warned**_

"Derek did this to you?" Jenny asked after a brief shocked moment of silence.

Eric nodded. "He pretended all along to be in love with me when he was actually just a straight, faggot-hating guy who wanted to teach me a lesson." He winced as the memories of that night came flooding back. He remembered the crushing heartache he had felt when he realized Derek had been lying to him all this time and wasn't really in love with him; just out for revenge. He remembered the sadness turning to fear when he realized what was about to happen to him. He remembered the pain of the first blow. Derek had been the first to hit him—hard with a bat to his shoulder. Then Jake had hit him in the face with a board. Jessica had kicked him hard in the head, while Mitchel had kicked him hard in the ribs. His ribs ached at the memory. If he remembered correctly, Derek started repeatedly hitting him with the bat as he cried._ "Shut up, you mother fricking faggot! Shut the hell up!"_

Eric burst into tears. The whole thing hurt so badly. He didn't know what was worse—the physical or the emotional pain. "They beat me so badly. I thought Derek loved me! I thought his friends liked me and that all of us were going to get along great! They were all just using me. All of them! Even Derek. _Especially_ Derek. He just wanted to teach me a lesson. Gosh, I can't believe I slept with him!"

Jenny, who had been holding him close in her arms and stroking his hair to try to soothe him, stopped mid stroke. "Wait, what? You _slept_ with him?"

Eric looked up at her and sniffled. "That's the worst part. "I really felt I was in love with him, and I believed he was really in love with me too. I wanted him to be my first. I may be a guy, but I still wanted it to be special, you know?"

Jenny nodded, keeping quiet so as to let him finish.

Then, before he started beating me later that night, you know what he told me?" Eric asked with another sniffle.

"I'm afraid to ask," Jenny said in almost a whisper.

"He said, and I quote, 'It wasn't making love, it was sex, you idiot! A hole is a hole! It didn't make me gay at all. In fact, I had to picture Cameron Diaz so that I wouldn't throw up all over you, you sick faggot!'" Eric's voice began to break. "That's one thing I remember the clearest. You know what else?"

Jenny had tears in her eyes now too. "What?"

"I think that part hurt worse than anything they did to me that night." Eric began sobbing again—harder this time.

Jenny stood up, her fists held so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. "Before we call the cops, I'm going to call Chuck, Dan, and Nate, and we're going to beat the shit out of him! He's going to rue the day he met Eric van der Woodsen! Heck, even though you're no longer together with them, I bet Jonathan and Elliot will help us teach that scumbag a lesson too! Oh, and Dad! He'll make sure he pays. Your dad too. I'm sure our fathers will put away their differences to get that son of a bitch to pay."

Eric shook his head. "Jenny, no! Let's not be the same as them. Let's just call the police. They will make sure that justice is done. I don't want the ones I love suffering because of him too. If you all do something to Derek, you could be put away just like him."

"Not if we don't get caught. I can make sure he never talks again," Jenny said.

"Jenny, listen to yourself!" Eric protested. "I know you're angry with him for what he did to me."

"You're damn right I am!" Jenny said with a nod before Eric could continue.

"But please trust me. This is best handled by the cops. If you really care about me, you'll let the cops handle it, all right?" Eric pleaded.

Jenny looked at him as if contemplating for a moment.

"Jenny, promise me!" Eric ordered.

Jenny sighed. "Oh, all right, fine! But the cops better make him pay. If they don't, I will."

Eric nodded. "I don't doubt that. Thank you."

Jenny had her arms crossed over her chest and didn't look a hundred percent happy about this, but Eric knew she would keep her word.

"Now, let's go tell Mom and Rufus, and we'll go from there," Eric ordered. "I'll text my dad and have him come over so that we can tell him as well."

Jenny sighed, but nodded. Then, she helped Eric get out of bed and to his crutches. Next, they headed down the stairs to do as they planned.

~GG~

As planned, Eric had texted William, his biological father to join them. Earlier in the week, William had had to leave for a couple days on business, but not until he had been sure Eric was going to be all right. Eric had to admit he was impressed that William had stayed by his side every day in the hospital until William had to leave for the meeting. At least he was _trying_ to be a father now, Eric figured.

William had just returned from his business trip, and had come right over as soon as he had gotten Eric's text. Once he had arrived, Eric told his parents about his memory returning, and, as much as it hurt to tell them, he also told them about everything he had remembered from that night. Well, he left out the part about having slept with Derek and Derek later rubbing it in his face. His parents didn't need to know that part, and the police certainly didn't either.

"I'll kill him. I'm going to go to his house, and I'm going to break his neck. Then he won't be a problem anymore," Rufus said, standing up from the couch.

William nodded, and stood up from his chair. "Rufus, for once we agree on something. I agree we should kill him, but the death has got to be something more torturous than a neck snapping. I'm thinking more of beating him within an inch of his life, and then leaving him there to rot and die."

Rufus nodded. "Sounds like a good plan to me!" He turned to Eric. "Where does the little thug live?"

Lily gently pulled her husband back down to her side. She had tears in her eyes. "Rufus, trust me, I want to kill that boy as much as you do, but we can't. We have to let the police handle this. If any of us take matters into our own hands, we'll be put in jail—for life if we kill him. "Let's just call the police. Eric can tell them what he just told us, and they will handle the situation legally. I promise you, we will get the justice Eric deserves."

Rufus looked at his wife's pleading sad eyes and nodded. "All right." He took her hand and gently squeezed it and kissed it.

Eric had to admit, the fact that his stepfather cared so much made him feel good.

William sighed, and sat back down in his chair. He looked at his son. "I'm going to get you the best lawyer there is. He'll crush this Derek punk's scumbag lawyer."

"Do you want to call the police, or would you rather I call them, Honey?" Lily asked, nodding at Eric.

"I'd appreciate it if _you_ did. I'm not feeling very well. I just want to go upstairs and rest until they get here if you don't mind," Eric stated.

Lily shook her head. "Not at all. Do you need help getting up the stairs?"

"I'll help him," Jenny offered.

"Thank you, Jennifer," Lily said as she headed to the phone to call the police.

Jenny got up, and helped Eric up as well. She helped him with his crutches, then helped him up the stairs and to his room.

"I can take it from here. Thanks for helping me," Eric said, really just wanting to be alone now.

Jenny nodded. "All right. Just call me if you need me. I'll come get you when the police arrive."

Eric nodded, and hugged his stepsister. "Thanks."

Jenny left, and shut the door behind her.

With a sigh, Eric wobbled over to his bed, sat down, then set his crutches aside. He then lay down on his back, and closed his eyes.

He had only been laying there for about five minutes when the phone rang.

He waited for someone to pick up so that he didn't have to hear the ringing beside him.

The ringing stopped after the second ring, but then, a moment later, Rufus called up the stairs. "Eric, someone's on the phone for you. It's a girl. She says her name is Annabelle. I told her you were resting, but she says it's important and private."

Eric groaned. Annabelle? He didn't know any Annabelle, and he certainly didn't feel like talking with anyone right now. But the girl said it was important and private, and his curiosity was really getting the best of him.

He sighed. "I'll take it. He reached for the phone on his nightstand, and answered the phone. "Hello?"

He heard Rufus hang up the phone, but there was no reply.

"Hello?" he repeated, wondering if Annabelle had hung up too.

Just when he was about to hang up, he heard an answer. "You better not tell the cops anything about who beat you up. As far as your concerned, you remember nothing."

Eric swallowed hard, fear paralyzing him. It wasn't a recognizable voice. It was a distorted voice as if a machine was used like the one the killer in _Scream_ used.

Eric didn't know how he managed to get the words out, but he did. "And what if I do tell them, Derek?" The more he thought about what Derek and his friends had done to him, the more angry he became. And the more angry he became, the less scared he was.

The tone of the voice suddenly got nastier. "If you give any names, I swear to you, your little stepsister Jenny Humphrey will be beaten just like you! She won't get off quite so lucky as you will either. You know, she's kind of hot. Do you think she's good in bed? You know, it would be a shame if she were to get raped. You know gang banging still exists, right? Especially in dangerous cities like New York."

Eric was now so angry he was shaking. "You sick son of a bitch! If you lay a hand on Jenny, I'll—"

"You'll what? You tried to fight back last time, and look where it got you. Something tells me little Jenny Humphrey would have even less of a chance of fighting someone off than you did—especially a group of big, strong, men."

Eric was too shocked to speak anymore.

"Just remember, there are a lot of contacts on the street who are willing to do stuff even if their boss gets put away. Remember that. You've been warned."

_Click._

Eric felt all the color draining from his face.

He hung up the phone then picked it up again and dialed star 69. No one answered, and no voicemail picked up.

With a frustrated cry, he hung up his phone. Then, he lay back down, buried his face in his pillows, and cried.

~GG~

Eric woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep.

"Eric, the police are here," Jenny's sweet and gentle voice said to him from the other side of the door.

Eric sighed. He was not looking forward to this. "All right. I'll be right down."

"Do you need help with your crutches?" Jenny asked.

"No, thanks. I'll be down in a minute," Eric said.

"All right. See you down there," Jenny called from the other side of the door.

He listened as he heard her footsteps walk away and head down the stairs.

He then sighed again. A lot of people weren't going to be very happy with him in the next few minutes, but there was nothing he could do about it.

~GG~

Eric was nervous as he entered the family room and saw two professional-looking detectives sitting on the couch. He swallowed a lump in his throat. He had to do this. He had no choice.

He took in a deep breath and let it out before heading further into the room.

The two detectives stood up to shake his hand and introduce themselves.

One was a tall, pretty blonde woman with beautiful blue eyes. Her hair was severely held back by a French braid. She smiled at him friendly enough, but she still looked tough, and didn't look like she was one to be messed with. She made Eric nervous.

"Hello," she said as she shook his hand. "I'm Detective Carlson."

"And I'm Detective Leopardi," the second detective said as he shook Eric's hand.

Eric gave him a once-over. He was a rather plump, Italian looking man with jet black hair and striking light blue eyes. He was an okay looking guy. Eric didn't know why, but the fact that he was plump, made him a little less intimidating.

"It's nice to meet you both," Eric said with a polite nod before taking a seat in the easy chair to their right.

"It's nice to meet you too. We're just sorry it's under such unpleasant circumstances," Detective Carlson told him.

Detective Leopardi nodded his agreement.

"So, we understand you remember who did this to you?" Detective Carlson began, nodding toward Eric's abused body for emphasis. "Tell us, what do you remember?"

Eric watched nervously as both Detective Carlson and Detective Leopardi held their pens over their pads of paper to write down what he said to them.

He sighed. Sadly, they weren't going to hear what they expected to.

"I want to apologize for waiting your time, but I don't remember things as clearly as I thought I did. It's all really still a blur," Eric stated. He knew Jenny was going to have something to say about that.

Sure enough, she did. "Eric, what are you talking about? You said you remembered everything, and that Derek did this to you!" Jenny was looking at him as if he had just sprouted antennas on his head. He couldn't say he blamed her.

Eric did his best to look guilty, which wasn't too hard since he was already feeling guilty for lying to his family and two detectives right now.

He looked down to the floor, unable to face anybody as he spouted off more lies. "I lied. I know it was wrong. When mom said she was going to call the police, I panicked, and didn't know what to do, so I let her call them. It was stupid, I know. I should have told her the truth right then and there."

"Wait. You mean you lied about the Derek thing?" Rufus asked in surprise.

Eric nodded, ashamed at himself for lying now. He managed to look at Rufus. He didn't want to look at him, but he knew he had to to make this realistic, so he did. "The truth is, Derek and I got into a fight. He said he wanted to date other people, and I wanted it to be just the two of us. I caught him on a date with another man. That is the one memory that I did remember today. It made me so angry, and I wasn't thinking straight, so I made up a story in my head about him and his friends doing this to me. I was just so angry, and I wanted to get him back."

Eric looked away again. He could tell Rufus was disappointed in him. He could read it in his eyes.

"Mr. van der Woodsen, those were some serious accusations you made. Don't you know it is against the law to falsely accuse someone?" Detective Leopardi asked him. His tone was stern, and Eric now found himself slightly intimidated by him now, despite his not feeling intimidated earlier.

Eric hung his head in shame. "I know. That's why I had to tell you guys now before I let this go any further."

"You could have hurt his friends too by these accusations," Detective Carlson stated, sounding just as chastising as Detective Leopardi had.

Eric nodded. "I know. I wasn't thinking about that. I just wanted revenge on Derek, and I knew that hurting his friends as well would punish him even more. It was a stupid thing to do. He was really sweet about wanting to date other people and his friends have always been nothing but nice to me. I just couldn't take the rejection and seeing the person I was in love with—and thought was in love with me—out with another man. I promise to never even _think_ of doing something like that ever again."

"Please don't punish him for lying. He's been through enough, and he told you the truth in the end," William begged the officers.

Detective Leopardi glanced at him. "We're not going to punish him. He told us the truth, so we can't really do anything but leave him with a warning."

Detective Carlson nodded, and turned her attention back to Eric. "We know you've been through a lot already, and you did end up telling us the truth, so we'll let it go—this time. But, Mr. van der Woodsen, please don't make it a habit of having the police come out here for no good reason. It's a big city, and we do have _real_ criminals to bring to justice, all right?"

Eric looked at her and nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. I'm so sorry."

"It's all right. You take care, and get better soon," Detective Carlson said, standing up.

Detective Leopardi stood up as well. He took one last sip of his coffee, and held the mug up to Rufus. "Thanks for the coffee."

Rufus stood up and nodded. He shook Detective Leopardi's hand. "Don't mention it. Sorry to drag you all the way out here for nothing."

"Don't mention it." Detective Leopardi said with a wink. He then put his mug down. He walked past Eric. "Say out of trouble from now on."

Eric gave him a put on smile. "I'll try my best."

The officers then entered the elevator and left.

Lily, who had been surprisingly quiet during the whole conversation, finally spoke once the elevator doors had closed. She turned to Eric, giving him an icy glare. "Do you want to tell me what in the world that was all about?"

Eric stood up. "I already told you what it's all about. I was angry with Derek, so I lied to get him into trouble."

"That's so not like you, Eric!" Lily said.

Eric looked at her. "Yeah, well, almost being killed changes a person."

That shut Lily up, and no one else said a word.

Eric took that opportunity to head up the stairs. "Don't come after me. I want to be alone," he said without looking back.

He kept walking until he got to his room. Once he was inside, he shut and locked the door behind him, then propped his crutches against the wall, and climbed into bed. Next, he unplugged his bedside phone, and threw himself into bed and underneath the covers. He then lay on his stomach, his face buried in his pillow, and cried. It was ironic, he thought, how he was usually not a crier, but today alone, he had cried a total of four times. He guessed it was true what he had said to his mother—almost getting killed changes a person.

He hadn't wanted to lie to his family or the police, and he wanted to get Derek and his friends put behind bars—he really did! But he had to protect Jenny. His family and friends came first to him—always. So, if he wanted to protect Jenny, he had to let Derek and his friends go free. He _had_ to. He had no other choice.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 8: Murder On His Mind**_

The next day, Eric dreaded coming out of his room. Since running up to his room after the police had arrived, he hadn't left his room other than to go to the bathroom. He hadn't run into the rest of his family in the hallway, and none of them had stopped by to ask how he was doing. He didn't know if they were angry with him for having lied, or if they were just giving him his space.

He didn't want to face them, but, especially after having skipped dinner the night before, he was starved. He had slept in. Now it was eleven and he wasn't tired anymore, so he had no choice but to get up.

With a sigh, he gathered up some clean clothes, then headed to the bathroom to shower, and get ready for the day. Then, once he was showered and ready, he headed down the stairs to get some lunch.

He saw his mother and Jenny hanging out in the living room while Rufus was in the kitchen, apparently making them lunch.

Eric realized then that he still wasn't quite ready to face everyone. He just didn't want to talk about it. He _couldn_'t. Not if he wanted to keep Jenny safe anyway. For all he knew, Derek could see to it that his mother and sister got hurt as well. Eric had seen first hand what Derek and his cronies were capable of. Heck, from the sounds of it, Derek had more cronies than the ones Eric had met! For all he knew, they could be even more vicious than Derek, Jake, Mitchel, and Jessica.

He shuttered at the thought. That was a risk he was not willing to take. So, he had no other choice. He had to keep his mouth shut. And, in order to do so, that meant staying clear of anyone who would ask questions. He would go out to lunch today. He couldn't eat with his family. It was too dangerous. They would just try to drag the truth out of him, and he just might accidentally let it slip. He knew he couldn't avoid his family forever, but he was going to avoid them for as long as he could. Maybe eventually they would just let it go, and they could all just move on from this. The last thing he wanted to do was dwell on it anyway. In fact, he'd be perfectly happy forgetting—for good this time—that this whole thing ever happened.

He sighed. Like _that_ would ever happen.

He slid on his shoes, trying to keep quiet and not be noticed. He almost made it too. Until the elevator doors opened. Then Jenny placed a hand over his shoulder from behind, and he jumped a mile.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Jenny apologized softly.

"It's all right. I still get slightly jumpy. I don't remember much of the attack, but I do remember being grabbed from behind before I was knocked out," Eric covered up. He hated lying—especially to Jenny. But, again, he had no choice. Another thing he hated was the fact that lying came so naturally to him now. He had had a lot of practice at it, he guessed.

Jenny nodded toward the elevator. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going out for breakfast. I don't really feel like eating with my mom and Rufus." _Or you_ he wanted to add. He didn't want to hurt her feelings though. He was about to step onto the elevator so that he could quickly make his getaway before his mother and Rufus noticed him too. However, Jenny had other plans. "I'll go too. Hold the elevator. I just gotta grab my shoes and purse."

Eric sighed, but did as told. "Jenny, actually, I'd really like to be alone today if you don't mind." He contemplated pressing the "close doors" button and making a run for it, but Jenny was back and in the elevator before he could do so.

She turned to him as soon as the doors had closed in front of them. "We need to talk, and I think you know it."

He looked down at the floor. "That is exactly what I was trying to avoid by ditching out early."

"I know. And you know what?" Jenny asked.

Eric glanced at her. "What?"

Jenny smirked at him. "That's just too damned bad. First, we're going to go get you a new cell phone so that I can get ahold of you when I want to, and second, we're going to go get some lunch and talk. I know you lied, and you're not going to lie to me anymore, Eric Van der Woodsen!"

Eric sighed. This was exactly what he had been afraid of happening. He guessed he had no choice though. Jenny had a way of getting exactly what she wanted, and he knew now would be no exception.

~GG~

"Excuse me, Sir? You have a call at the bar. The caller says it's urgent," the waiter said to Dan's friend Nate as they had lunch together at Blossom.

"Really? Did they say who it is?" Nate asked with scrunched eyebrows.

The waiter shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sir, they did not."

Nate sighed. "All right." He looked at Dan. "I'll be right back I guess. I wonder who it is and why they didn't just call my cell phone?"

Dan shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough."

Nate left the table, and Dan was just about to grab the dessert menu when he felt something cold and wet hit his neck from behind.

"What the hell?" He turned around to see a little boy who looked to be no more than five with a glass (that now only held little pink droplets) in his hand. The boy looked like he was about to cry.

"I'm sorry! I tripped," he said with a sniffle.

Dan sighed. He couldn't be angry with a kid. "It's all right. Accidents happen."

"You got my pink lemonade on your shirt," the kid said. He sniffled again.

"It's all right. As far as I know, lemonade doesn't stain. Why don't you go find your parents and have them get you some more lemonade?" Dan asked.

The boy nodded. "Okay! I promise not to spill it on you."

Dan laughed. "Thank you for that."

The kid ran off and around the corner.

Dan sighed, and turned back to the table just as Nate got back to the table.

"Who was on the phone?" Dan asked.

"No one. By the time I got there, they had hung up. It must not have been that urgent if they couldn't wait two minutes for me to get to the phone." Nate nodded at Dan. "What happened to _you_?"

Dan rolled his eyes. "Some kid tripped and spilled his pink lemonade all over my back. I couldn't get mad at him though. He was only around five. I'm going to go to the bathroom and try to dry off under the dryer or something. I'll be back. Watch my phone for me, will ya?"

"Where is it?" Nate asked.

Dan looked on the table where he had left his phone, and to his alarm, saw it wasn't there. "It was right here!"

He and Nate both looked for it—all over the table and below the table—but it was nowhere to be found.

"Are you sure you brought it with you?" Nate asked.

"Yes, I'm positive! Someone must have taken it somehow with neither of us seeing them," Dan said.

"Who would want to take your cell phone?" Nate asked.

Dan shrugged. "Who knows? You know what kind of freaks live in New York."

Nate smirked. "Us for example?"

Dan grinned. "Not everybody, but you know what I mean."

Nate glanced around. "Maybe the waiter took it by mistake when clearing our dishes."

Dan sighed. "I can ask him, but I doubt it. This sucks! Now I have to go get a new one."

"Relax! You have insurance, right?" Nate asked.

Dan nodded. "Yes, but it still takes time out of my schedule to go get one."

"I know since your schedule is just so packed because you're so high in demand," Nate teased.

Dan glanced at him. "Shut up!" He grinned to show he was kidding.

Nate laughed, and all was forgotten as they grabbed their menus to figure out what they would get for dessert.

~GG~

Derek's phone buzzed, alerting him of a text message.

Derek grinned when he read the message from the contact he had following Dan. This was the most crucial part of the plan, and he had put his best contact to work on this one. _I got the phone, thanks to a little help from my five-year-old nephew. Dan didn't even notice me swiping the phone._

Derek quickly texted back. _Not sure how your nephew played into all of this, but whatever got the job done._ _Good job! Remember, wait for my cue before moving onto your next assignment._

He snapped his phone closed.

~GG~

"Now do you understand why I had to lie?" Eric asked Jenny. They were sitting on a park bench at Central Park. It was two hours later, and Eric had just told Jenny about Derek having called him and threatened him not to tell.

He had tried to ignore Jenny's questions all day. It had been hard, but he had managed to do it until now.

In the cab on the way to the apple store, Eric had simply whispered "not here" to Jenny. He knew that she would assume he couldn't tell her with the cab driver listening in. It was true, he really couldn't. But mainly he just didn't want to tell her at all, and was using the good excuse he had not to.

When they got to the store, Eric walked right into the apple store and to an employee, whom he asked to help him pick out a new iphone. Of course Jenny couldn't have questioned him when he was with an Apple store employee.

Lunch had been a little more difficult to avoid her questions. He tried claiming it was too loud in the restaurant to hear her, but there weren't that many people in the restaurant, so there went that.

He tried to take a mouthful of food every time she asked him a question, but Jenny quickly put a stop to that, pulling his plate and cup away from him.

Finally, he told her he wanted to enjoy his lunch, and would tell her after lunch and dessert. He promised.

She agreed.

After lunch, she wanted to go to Central Park, so he reluctantly agreed. He knew there was no use in saying no to her. No wasn't in her vocabulary.

Practically as soon as they had arrived at the park, she had dragged him to a more secluded spot, and had had him sit with her on a bench.

"Now, spill it. I want all the deets. And don't even _try_ to lie to me, Eric Van der Woodsen. I know you too well. I know when you're lying." She had glared at him in such a way that Eric had known he didn't want to find out what she'd do if he did try to lie to her.

Eric had sighed. "All right. I'll tell you." And that is when he told her everything, starting from "Annabelle's" call that Rufus answered, to the _Scream_ killer type voice that Derek had used to threaten him.

Jenny had listened without interrupting even once.

Though, now that Eric had finished, she reached over and smacked him across the head—hard.

"What the heck, Jenny! What was _that_ for?" Eric asked, rubbing his sore head.

"For thinking I am some weak little girl who can't protect herself!" Jenny snapped. "I'm not scared of Derek _or_ the thugs he calls his friends."

Eric held up his hands in defense. "Well, you should be! Hey, if they can almost kill me, then they can almost kill you—or worse! Do you _want_ to be gang raped and killed by them? Derek said he has contacts all over!"

Jenny rolled her eyes. "He was just saying that to scare you."

"How do you know?" Eric asked.

Jenny shrugged. "If he had more people, then why didn't _they_ come to help beat you up?"

Eric shrugged too. "I don't know. I guess he didn't need them. Even if he doesn't have anyone else, Jessica, Mitchel, Derek, and Jake could still hurt you—maybe even kill you. I'm sorry, but I just can't take that chance! They could go after mom too! Or Serena even!"

Jenny sighed, and gently placed a hand over Eric's arm. "The cops will handle it. Trust me. They are professionals. They know how to handle situations like this. If you really care about me, you'll agree to tell your parents and my dad. Trust me, you're not the first one in the world to get threats like that if you go to the cops. This is New York for gosh sake! The police have seen _everything_. Believe me. If you let Derek and his friends go, they could do this to another gay kid, or their sister or family. Do you really want that to happen all because you let them bully you into keeping quiet?" Jenny asked.

Eric sighed. "I'm just worried about the other contacts us and the police don't know about. What if the contacts hurt us before the police know who they are?"

Jenny hugged him, and rested her head against his. "We'll be careful. Trust me, if you keep Derek free, he's always going to threaten you one way or another. Guys like that don't give up. Now please, tell your parents and my dad, and agree to tell the cops too. For me?" She looked up at him and bat her eyelashes. "Please?"

Eric looked at her, then sighed. Then he hung his head low."All right. I'll tell them."

Jenny grinned, then kissed his cheek. "You won't regret it, I promise." She stood up and extended her hand to him. "Now, let's hail a cab and head home."

Eric took her hand, and let her help him up, then they headed to find a cab.

Eric just hoped he wouldn't regret agreeing to tell his parents, Rufus, and the police. If he was making a mistake, then Lord help him. Lord help them all.

~GG~

Derek picked up his phone the moment it buzzed, indicating he had another text.

He looked at the screen. _He and the stepsister are leaving Central Park now. The stepsister talked him into going to the cops. She said she's not scared of you. They're headed back to the apartment. They want to tell the rents, then they are going to call the cops._

Derek cursed under his breath, then texted back.

_Thank you. I'll take it from here._

He had had another one of his outside contacts follow Eric and Jenny all day. Derek wanted to make sure that something like this wouldn't happen. But, now that it had, now that Eric was about to blab on him despite his warnings, Derek had no choice but to put his plan into action.

He took out his cell phone, and quickly texted the contact he had following Dan. _It's time to put the plan into action. Do it now._

A minute later, the response came. _Done._

Derek grinned, and texted back. _Excellent._ He then shut the phone shut, and shoved it in his pocket.

He sighed. "I'm sorry it has to come to this, Eric. I tried to let you go if you kept your mouth shut, but you can't seem to do that, so I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands, and make sure you don't ever tell," he said out loud to himself.

"Wait, what now?" Mitchel asked, coming out with a bath towel wrapped around his waist. His hair still had shampoo in it. He dug around in a bag on the couch, and held up a bottle of body wash. "I forgot to bring this in with me," he explained. Apparently, he had been in the bathtub. Derek had thought he wasn't home. Mitchel was the only guy he knew who liked to take baths instead of showers.

Derek sighed. He hadn't meant for Mitchel to hear that, but he supposed it didn't matter. He was going to need help with this anyway. Jake and Jessica were out at Jessica's parents' beach house for the weekend since her parents were out of town. He would have rather have had _them_ help him since Mitchel tended to think too much and was a little bit on the goody-goody side, but he would have to do.

"I need you to help me with something," he said.

Mitchel's expression changed to one filled with dread. "I'm afraid to ask."

"I need you to help me make sure Eric doesn't tell the cops on us. Him and his stepsister are planning on telling them tonight," Derek explained.

"But I thought you scared him off from doing that," Mitchel stated.

Derek shook his head. "It didn't last long. The little witch talked her stepbrother into telling anyway. She said she is not scared of us. Stupid girl."

"What do you plan on doing?" Mitchel looked worried.

"Don't worry, my good man. I have a plan," Derek said with a wicked grin.

"What do you have in mind?" Mitchel asked, and eyebrow raised.

"All will be revealed in time. We just have to make sure he doesn't tell. This time, we have to _really_ get the message across, if you know what I mean," Derek stated.

Mitchel shook his head. "I'm not sure this is a good idea. We nearly got caught last time, and you messed him up pretty badly."

"Do you _want_ him to tell on us? Do you _want_ us to be put in jail for a very long time?" Derek snapped at him.

Mitchel blushed, and he backed off a bit. "Well, no, but—"

Derek cut him off. "Then we have to do this, all right? There is no other way. We have to make sure he doesn't tell on us and ruin our life."

Mitchel sighed. "I just don't want to get caught this time. Plus, I already feel horrible about what we did to him."

"Well, don't! He is a disgusting faggot, who is living a life of sin. Besides, we're just going to drag the point home one more time. It won't be as bad as last time, I promise. I also promise we won't get caught. It's not going to take nearly as long as last time," Derek promised.

Mitchel sighed. "You _promise_ it won't be as bad as last time?"

Derek nodded. "Cross my heart."

"And we'll get out of there quickly, and we won't get caught?" Mitchel asked.

Derek held up the appropriate hand signal. "Scout's honor."

Mitchel rolled his eyes. "You weren't even a scout.

Derek grinned. "It still means the same thing."

Mitchel smirked. "All right, fine. But this is the last time, all right?"

Derek grinned even wider. "There will be no need for another time. I assure you."

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Mitchel asked. He headed back into the bathroom to finish his bath before Derek could answer.

Derek sighed. "Saved by the bath."

~GG~

Jenny had just helped Eric get into the cab with his crutches when her phone buzzed with a text. It was from Dan. _Jenny, it's Dan. I need your help ASAP. Please meet me at the loft. Come alone. I need help with something embarrassing, and I really don't want anyone else finding out about it. Thanks. -Dan_

"Who is it from?" Eric asked, nodding toward Jenny's phone.

"Dan. He needs me to come help him with some embarrassing problem, and he doesn't want anyone else hearing about it." Jenny rolled her eyes. "It's probably nothing. He's so dramatic." She sighed. "However, he is my brother, and he said he needs me ASAP." She looked at Eric. "Do you mind heading back on your own? I'm gonna hail another cab and have the driver take me to the loft. I'll see what it is Dan needs, then come right home. When I get back, we can tell your dad, Dad, and Lily, then call the police together."

Eric nodded. "All right. I hope Dan's all right."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he is. He probably saw a spider or something, and wants me to kill it. He acts all tough, but last time I was with him and he saw a spider, he screamed like a girl—so loudly that I thought we had an intruder!"

Eric laughed. "Dan? Afraid of spiders? Who would have thought?"

"I know, right?" Jenny hugged Eric, then opened the door, and stepped out onto the sidewalk. "See you at home," she said with her hand on the door.

Eric waved. "See ya. Tell Dan I said I hope the spiders don't get him."

Jenny waved back and laughed. "I will." She shut the door, then looked for another cab to hail to take her to Dan's loft in Brooklyn.

~GG~

"Come on, Dude! Let's get this done," Derek said to Mitchel. He grabbed two nine-inch switchblades that he had boughten the other day. He had paid cash for them of course. He gotten them from some guy a friend of a friend knew. They had done the trade off late the night before in a dark alley—just like in the movies! Of course, he always handled the knives only while wearing gloves. He was wearing his gloves, and tossed Mitchel a pair of gloves as well.

Mitchel looked at the gloves as if he had never seen a pair of gloves before. "What do we need these for?"

Derek grinned, and opened his switchblade. "So that, in case they ever find the weapons, our prints won't be on them," he said matter of factly.

Mitchel swallowed hard as he saw the switchblades. "Those look like they could do some serious damage to him," he stated.

Derek smirked. "That's kind of the idea."

Mitchel backed up. "Wait, I thought you said we weren't going to hurt him. You promised!"

Derek chuckled. "I did no such thing! I said it wouldn't be as bad as the last time. It won't. This time, he'll be dead, so he won't suffer."

"Excuse me? What do you mean, _dead_?" Mitchel asked.

Derek smirked. "You know. When someone is no longer living. It's that thing where you stop breathing, and your heart stops working."

Mitchel ignored the sarcasm. "Derek, we can't _kill_ him! I thought we were just going to drive the point home one last time!"

"We are! Can you think of any better way to drive the point home than to kill him?" Derek asked.

Mitchel narrowed his eyes. Then, he threw the gloves down to the floor, and held up his hands. "That's it! I'm out. I want nothing more to do with this."

"Oh, stop being such a coward, Mitchel! Being a homosexual is a sin! He has to pay for those sins!" Derek snapped.

Mitchel shook his head. "No, Derek, _murder_ is a sin. In fact, it's one of the Ten Commandments, Thou Shall Not Kill!"

Derek grinned. "Unless you're doing God's work."

Mitchel shook his head. "the Bible doesn't say that part. And now, come to think of it, I'm sorry we ever beat Eric up. He didn't deserve that. He is a really nice guy, and he can't help the way God made him."

"Yeah, well, it's a little late to have second thoughts, isn't it?" Derek stomped over to Mitchel, got right in his face, and flipped the switchblade open that he had for Mitchel to use. "You better not even _think_ about calling the police on me, or you're going to be _really_ sorry."

Mitchel stepped back, and held his hands up. "Relax, Man. I wouldn't do that to my buddy. I'm just saying that I am washing my hands of this. If you want to kill Eric, then fine. But I want nothing more to do with it."

Derek sighed. "Fine! Who needs you anyway? The kid's on crutches. It's not like it's going to be such a hard task to get the upper hand on him." He put Mitchel's blade back in the drawer, then shut the drawer and headed to the door, his own switchblade in his pocket. He paused in the doorway to look at Mitchel. "I meant what I said, Mitchel. Don't even think about calling the police on me. If you do, you'll experience something far worse than prison."

With that, he turned on his heel, and left to go get the job done.

He sighed. "You want to get something done, you have to do it yourself!"

And he intended on doing just that.

~GG~

Eric was busy re-adding all his apps to his new phone, and didn't realize that the cab wasn't heading toward his home. That is until he realized that it was taking a lot longer to get home from the park than it should have.

He looked up from his phone to see that they were not in Manhattan, but rather in what looked like Harlem.

"Hey," he said to the driver, "this isn't the way to my place. Did you hear the address wrong?"

The driver didn't say anything. He just continued to drive down the empty street.

"Hello?" Eric asked. The area looked like a ghost town, and he was starting to get a little worried.

Suddenly, the car stopped. "Get out," the driver ordered.

"Excuse me?" Eric asked.

"I said, get out," the driver repeated.

Eric was a little angry now. "What do you mean, get out? This isn't my stop! My apartment is in Manhattan, and this is clearly not Manhattan, nor is it my apartment."

"I've been paid to take you here instead," the driver stated. "Now get out before I escort you out myself!"

"Paid off by whom?" Eric asked. He opened the cab door, not wanting to disobey the driver. The driver was scaring him.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss it," the driver answered.

Eric swallowed hard. He suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. "How much did he pay you? I can pay you more."

"Kid, I don't want to have to hurt you, but I will if I have to," the driver warned.

Eric didn't need to be told twice. He out of the cab, struggling a little with his crutches.

"Hurry up!" the driver snapped.

"I'm trying, believe me!" Eric said. He finally managed to get his crutches out, and The driver sped off so fast that he almost ran over Eric. Luckily, Eric was starting to get a little quicker with his crutches when it came to walking, or in this case, getting out of the way. Even so, he _barely_ got out of the way.

Eric quickly looked to see if he could read the license plate number or cab number, but the cab had sped off so fast, it was already out of sight.

With a sigh, Eric grabbed his phone from his pocket to call up Jenny, but, before he could bring her up on his contact list, he was grabbed from behind. His crutches fell to the ground. He tried to scream, but a hand quickly covered his mouth. He tried to squirm, but the person behind him was too strong. His broken leg also made it harder for him to break free.

He started to panic as he was dragged into a dark alley. Everything was far too familiar to him for his taste.

And then it happened. He came face to face with Derek. Something in Derek's eyes looked meaner and more vicious than he had ever remembered seeing him look before. It scared him so badly that he couldn't speak or move.

"I tried to warn you to keep your mouth shut, Van der Woodsen, but you just wouldn't listen! Now I have no choice but you shut you up for good," Derek breathed, his face so close to Eric's that Eric could smell his sour breath. It smelled like onions. Though Eric was sure it wasn't the smell of the onions that made his eyes tear up.

"Please," Eric pleaded, "just leave me alone! I promise I won't tell!" His eyes were clouded with tears. He wanted to wipe them, but Derek had his hands pinned down.

"I'm sorry, Eric, but you had your chance, and you blew it!" Derek snapped. He pulled out the switchblade from his jeans pocket, and grinned. "Actually, you know what? I'm really _not_ sorry. In fact, I'm going to quite enjoy seeing the life drain out of you, you sick faggot!"

Eric felt his face pale. His survival instincts were starting to kick in. He had to do something fast if he wanted to live. He knew he did! But he only had seconds to come up with something, and right now, he was running blank.

He swallowed hard. _This is it, _he thought. _I'm going to die._

~GG~

Jenny got to the loft, and opened the door with her spare key.

When she got into the loft, she set her keys on the kitchen island. "Dan?"

Dan was nowhere to be found.

"Well, that's nice! He begs me to met him here and he doesn't even have the decency to show up," she grumbled. She sighed, then pulled out a bottled water from the fridge, and sat down on the couch. She texted Dan to see where he was. He texted back that he had had to go run a quick errand quick, but would be back soon. He begged her to wait for him, and insisted that he still needed her help with something.

She sighed, and texted him back. _Fine, but hurry. You're not the only one with important things to do._

She then texted Eric. _I'm gonna be a little late. I'll explain when I get back, then we can tell Dad and your parents everything._

Eric didn't texted her back. She figured he must be sleeping again. She honestly didn't know how that boy could sleep so much lately. Heck, he had slept in until after eleven today. She guessed stress could do that to you.

She sighed yet again, then flipped on the television, and began to channel surf. She'd give Dan a half hour, then she was out of there.

~GG~

Jenny's eyes fluttered open when she felt a gentle nudging. She saw Dan staring down at her.

"Hey. What's up?" he asked.

Jenny nodded at him. "You tell me."

Dan raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

Jenny rolled her eyes, and sat up. "You texted me, remember? You wanted me to come help you with some embarrassing problem."

Dan gave her a confused look. "I never texted you. In fact, I couldn't even if I had wanted to. Someone took my phone at Blossom today. Some little kid spilled his juice all over me today when he tripped. Someone must have taken my phone then, because once my attention was turned back to the table, my phone was gone. It sucks! I still have to go get it replaced."

"Wait, so what you're telling me is your phone got stolen, and you didn't text me, asking me to come over here and help you with an embarrassing problem," Jenny stated.

"That's what I just said." Dan smirked. "I was with Nate all day. We had lunch together at Blossom, then headed back to his place to watch the Alfred Hitchcock Presents mini marathon. I just got back and found you sleeping on my couch." He then registered what she had just told him. "Embarrassing problem? What 'embarrassing problem' could I have had?"

Jenny smirked too. "Remember the spider?"

Dan coughed. "Fair enough."

Jenny's face turned serious then, as if she had just thought of something. "Wait. What do you mean you were with Nate _all day_?"

"Just like I said. I went to lunch with him, then we went back to his place for six hours of Alfred Hitchcock," Dan explained.

Jenny glanced at the clock. "Oh my gosh, it's eight o'clock! I must have fallen asleep watching TV!" She checked her phone. There was still no text from Eric, which was just strange. Then she registered that it was't Dan that had texted her. So that meant someone else was texting her as Dan. Which meant, they wanted to get her out of the way. Which meant... Her face paled.

"I gotta go," Jenny said, jumping up off the couch, running to the kitchen island and grabbing her spare key off the kitchen island, then turning to leave.

"Wait! You just got here. Why don't you stay, and we can order a pizza in and watch a video just like old times? _Footloose_ is on On Demand this month." Dan grinned.

"I can't. I'm sorry, but I really have to go! Eric's life could be in danger," Jenny said.

"Wait, what? In danger? Jenny, what's going on here?" Dan asked.

"No time to explain. If you want me to tell you, then come with me. I'll explain in the cab," Jenny said, already halfway out the door.

"Well, wait!" Dan said, grabbing his jacket, slipping on his shoes, then stumbling out the door after his sister.

~GG~

"Mm, finally we have the place to ourselves! Do you know how incredibly beautiful you are?" Rufus asked his wife, placing his arms around her waist from behind.

Lily smiled. "It's always nice to hear. And you're incredibly sexy."

Rufus moaned, and gently pushed her hair away from her neck so that he could kiss the side of it. "I'm glad you think so." He began to gently nip at the skin.

Lily smiled. "Darling, I have to take a bath."

"Mm, the bath can wait, can't it? I mean, I'm just going to end up getting you dirty again." Rufus reached in front of her and untied the pink silk ribbon that held her pink silk robe together, his lips and tongue still making work on her neck.

Lily gasped as his hands started to roam all over the frontal area of her body. "Well," she said breathily, "I suppose when you put it _that_ way..."

Rufus grinned against the back of her neck.

Just then, their bedroom door opened, and Rufus and Lily quickly broke apart.

Lily quickly retied her bathrobe as Eric walked in looking dazed. "Eric, Darling, what's wrong?" she asked. Her son clearly did not look himself. And then she saw it, and her heart dropped, as did her stomach. For Eric had blood all over his hands, and a knife in his right hand.

"Eric, what's going on?" Rufus asked him.

Eric was quiet.

"Eric, answer your stepfather!" Lily ordered. She felt sick.

Eric's eyes looked lifeless.

"Eric?" Rufus asked, the worry clear in his voice.

"I—I think I killed him," Eric whispered.

Lily gasped, and Rufus looked from his wife to his stepson. What in the hell was going on?


	9. Chapter 9

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 9: Take Him Away**_

"Rufus, take him into the bathroom and get him cleaned up," Lily ordered. On the outside, she was maintaining her calm demeanor. On the inside, she was a mess. What did her son mean he killed someone? Whose blood was that on his hands? Whose _knife_ was it? Did her son really kill someone? Sweet, innocent Eric who would never intentionally hurt someone? Her stomach dropped at the thought. Surely there had to be a better explanation than _that_!

Rufus nodded, and quickly ushered Eric off to the bathroom.

Lily felt as if she were going to throw up. She sat down on the bed, for she could no longer support her own weight. The room seemed to be spinning. She lay down a minute, trying to make sense of all this, but nothing was making sense. She needed answers. So, after a moment, she got up, and headed over to the bathroom. Rufus had just finished helping Eric wash his hands. The knife was now in a big plastic Ziplock bag.

"Let's go to your room, and you can explain what happened to us," Rufus said gently to Eric.

Eric nodded.

Lily watched as her husband placed a hand over Eric's back and helped him over to his room. He set Eric's crutches aside, then helped Eric onto the bed.

Rufus sat down next to Eric, so Lily decided to do the same, and sat down on the other side of Eric.

She wrapped an arm tightly around her son, then, when she was sure she could speak without her voice cracking, she spoke. "Tell us what happened." It came out in a whisper, but at least her voice hadn't cracked.

"Jenny and I were out at the park. We were about to go home, then she got a text from Dan saying that he needed her to meet him at the loft to help him with something. He said he needed her right away, so we parted ways so that I could go home, and she could go to Dan. On the way home, I was busy adding contacts to my new phone because I lost my other phone, so I didn't notice at first, but then I looked up and noticed that the driver was taking me to what looked like a very bad part of town, and not to Manhattan. I asked him where he was going, and he kept ignoring me. I started to freak out, then he stopped the cab and told me to get out. He said he was payed by someone to take me there instead. Of course he wouldn't tell me who payed him. He only got angrier when I offered to pay him more money than the guy who paid him did."

"Do you know who paid him?" Rufus asked.

Eric looked down at his lap. "Yes. It was Derek. I lied before. It was Derek who beat me up—he and his friends. I only changed my story because he called me up and threatened to have Jenny raped if I told. He said that she might not be so lucky to survive as I did."

Rufus' face flushed red with anger, and he clenched his fists. He stood up. "I'm going to kill him! I'm going to break his neck, and—"

Lily stood up too, and cut Rufus off with a hand to his arm. "Rufus, please. I know you're angry, and you have every right to be! I want Derek to pay as much as you do, but please don't do something that could get you taken away from us. This situation is bad enough as it is. If I ever lost you..." The tears started welling up in Lily's eyes, and she knew she had to stop speaking, or she would start crying, and be unable to stop.

Rufus sighed. He sat down, and pulled Lily onto his lap so that he could hold her in his arms. "All right. We'll let the police handle this."

"Not if Eric killed a man! I'm not letting my son pay for something that Derek deserved!" Lily said, her anger overpowering her sadness now.

Rufus turned back to Eric, as if suddenly remembering there was more to the story. "Tell us what happened next," he said quietly, all the while still holding Lily in his arms, and now gently rubbing her back.

Eric sighed, and continued. "Well, I was scared, so I got out of the taxi. He drove away so fast I couldn't get the cab number or license plate number. He nearly ran me over. I took out my phone to call Jenny, but, before I could, Derek grabbed me from behind. My crutches fell, and I could't scream because he was covering my mouth. He dragged me into a dark alley. In the park, Jenny had convinced me to tell you everything about Derek threatening me not to tell you it was him and his friends who beat me up. We were going to go home and tell you together, but then she got that text from Dan, so we were going to tell you when she got back. Anyway, Derek somehow found out I was going to tell. He told me that he had tried to warn me not to tell, but now that I was going to tell anyway, he'd have to shut me up for good. He then pulled out a switchblade from his pocket, and opened it up. It was so long. I'd never seen a blade that long before—at least not that close to my face. He backed me against a brick wall, and held my hands down. I couldn't move. He told me he was going to enjoy seeing the life drain out of me. I knew I had to do something fast if I wanted to live, but my mind was drawing a blank."

"So, how did you escape?" Lily asked, her heart pounding hard in her chest. She felt as if she were going to throw up.

Eric shrugged. "I don't know! The next thing I remember is waking up next to his dead body, the knife in my hand."

"Well, that's no proof that you did it!" Lily said, starting to feel a little better.

"No one else was there. I _had_ to have done it," Eric said, seemingly unable to meet his mother's and stepfather's eyes.

"Even if you did, it was in self defense," Rufus stated, placing his free arm around Eric's shoulders.

"I want to call the police and tell them what happened," Eric announced after a moment of silence in the room.

"What? No. No way. No one saw you, right?" Lily asked.

Eric finally looked at her. "As far as I know, but—"

Lily cut him off. "No buts. I'm not going to risk you going to prison for this. Derek deserved to die, and he's not going to ruin our family or your life even more by getting you sent to prison. We'll throw the knife in the river, and no one will be any wiser about who killed him. In this city, anybody could have killed a guy like Derek."

Rufus shook his head, and looked at his wife. "Lil, I think it's bets he comes forward. That way, it doesn't look like he's hiding anything. He can tell the police what really happened, and he will get off with self defense."

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "How do you know that for sure? You're not a lawyer, a judge, or even a cop!"

"Mom, he's just trying to help," Eric said weakly.

"It's all right," Rufus said, tightening his grip around his wife. "Lil, what if Derek's friends go to the cops first? You know they will do everything in their power to make sure Eric pays. It will look like Eric has something to hide if he doesn't go to the police. If he goes to the police now, we can get him the best lawyer we can find, and he'll be more apt to get off with the self defense ruling. If he doesn't say anything, then it's going to look like he did it just to get rid of an enemy."

"We don't even now if he did it!" Lily protested.

Eric sighed. "Mom, I did it. I had to have. There's no other explanation. No one else was there. I'm with Rufus. I don't want to cover up anything, nor do I want anyone else getting blamed for something I did. You know all hell will break lose once Derek's body is found. And who knows what his friends will try to do to me? I'd actually feel safer in jail."

"Well, if we have anything to do with it, Derek's little friends will be the ones who end up in jail for what they did to you, and you'll be free since you did what you did in self defense," Rufus stated as he gently rubbed Eric's shoulder in reassurance.

"Eric, are you really sure this is what you want to do? Go to the cops?" Lily asked. "You can escape now to a nice country that has no extradition treaty."

Eric smiled at his mother's non practicality. "Mom, I don't want to run. What kind of life would that be for me? Besides, there's no fun place to live that doesn't have an extradition treaty. I did a crime, and I need to fess up to it. Self defense or not, and rotten person or not, I still killed a man. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't confess, or if I just tried to run off or cover it up without paying any consequences for my actions."

Lily sighed. "I raised you with too many morals."

Eric sighed. "Under normal circumstances, I would have laughed at that, but, right now, laughing is the very last thing I feel like doing." He picked up the phone on the nightstand.

"Do you wan _me_ to call?" Rufus offered.

Eric shook his head. "No. I'm a grown adult. I need to start taking responsibility for my own actions, starting now." He dialed a number, and a moment later, he spoke into the phone. "Hello. My name is Eric Van der Woodsen, and I'd like to report a murder...committed by me."

Lily squeezed Rufus' hand, and Rufus kissed her cheek, and squeezed her hand in return.

Lily sobbed quietly against her husband's shoulder. She just hoped her son knew what he was doing. If her son ended up in jail, she'd never forgive herself for letting it happen. Not that there was much she could do about it. Eric wasn't even a child anymore. He was capable of making his own decisions, and whether she liked it or not, she was just going to have to deal with it.

~GG~

Two Detectives arrived—Detective Patton and Detective Abrams. Detective Patton was tall and skinny, and Detective Abrams was short and fat. They reminded Eric of The Blues Brothers—sans the shades of course.

"So, let me get this straight, Mr. Anderson tried to attack you again, he had you pinned up against the wall, and was holding a switchblade to you, threatening to kill you, then you just went blank, and can't remember anything else besides waking up with the knife in your hand and Mr. Anderson lying dead beside you?" Detective Patton asked.

Eric nodded.

"Why didn't you tell the police right away when Derek beat you up? Lying to the police is never a wise move," Detective Abrams spoke up.

Eric sighed. "Well, as I told you, my stepsister was threatened. I wasn't going to risk her life."

The doors to the apartment suddenly opened, and in rushed Jenny and Dan. "Eric! Oh, thank God you're all right!" Jenny said, running to her stepbrother and hugging him. She noticed the police then. "Did you tell them about..." she trailed off after speaking the words quietly to Eric.

Eric nodded. "Derek's dead."

Jenny's eyes widened. "What?"

Eric explained to her what had happened. Jenny sat down on the arm rest of the chair that Eric was sitting in. "Oh my gosh. Someone else had texted me—not Dan. Dan's phone was stolen. It must have been stolen from Derek or one of his friends. When I got to Dan's, he wasn't there, but I got a text that was supposedly from him that asked me to stay put. He had to run an errand quick. So, I turned on the television, then texted Eric to tell him I was going to be a little late. I somehow ended up falling asleep, and waking up hours later. Dan had gotten home and woken me up. That is when he told me he didn't send me any text, and that he couldn't have anyway because his phone was stolen. He had been out with his friend Nate all day, and someone had taken it at the restaurant they went to. I realized you hadn't texted me back, and I was so worried! Dan and I rushed out of the loft, and took a cab to get here, but traffic was _so_ bad. Then, the cab broke down, and we had to get into another cab, then traffic was _still_ bad. It was a nightmare! I tried texting you and calling you, but you didn't return my texts or pick up the phone," Jenny explained.

"And I tried calling here, but no one would answer," Dan piped in.

"We were a little preoccupied," Rufus responded without looking at Dan.

"I think I left my phone in the alley. I don't remember," Eric said, feeling around for his phone. It wasn't in his pocket like usual.

"So you're the stepsister?" Detective Patton asked Jenny with a nod toward her.

Jenny nodded.

"Do you still have the texts?" Detective Abrams asked her.

Jenny nodded, and brought them up on her phone, then handed her phone to Detective Abrams.

Detective Patton looked over Detective Abrams' shoulder as they read the texts together.

"I'm going to have to take this as evidence. I'm going to have someone trace the texts just in case the person texting you wasn't using a disposable phone or a pay as you go phone," Detective Abrams said. "You can get it back after we trace the texts that we need."

Jenny nodded. "Sure. Whatever you need."

"What was the name of the restaurant your phone got stolen at?" Detective Patton asked with a nod at Dan.

"Blossom," Dan answered. He then told the story of how the kid that spilled a drink on him had distracted him while his phone was taken.

"The kid was probably working on whoever stole it's orders," Detective Patton noted.

Dan nodded. "Probably, now that I think about it. Unless whomever took it just saw the opportunity and took it."

"It's possible," Detective Abrams' said, jotting down something on his notepad.

Detective Patton cleared his throat, then turned his attention back to Eric. "You said you woke with the murder weapon in your hand. Do you still have it?"

Eric nodded. "It's in a plastic bag in the bathroom."

"We're going to need that," Detective Patton stated.

Rufus nodded. "I'll go get it."

As Rufus went upstairs, another detective came through on Detective Patton's radio. "We found the body. He's being brought to the morgue now. Looks like the victim has been stabbed more than once. We'll know more once we have the mortician's report."

Eric tuned the rest out. He felt too sick to even think straight. As wicked as Derek was, did he really deserve to die? If Derek deserved to die for trying to kill him, then what did that say about he himself, who actually killed Derek? He didn't just try to kill Derek. He _did_ kill Derek.

Eric noticed Detective Patton wasn't on his radio anymore at the same time he noticed Rufus coming down the stairs with the bag containing the bloody knife. _The murder weapon._ Eric suddenly felt as if he were going to throw up. However, before he could even think about rushing to the toilet, both detectives stood up.

Rufus handed Detective Patton the knife, and Detective Abrams took out his cuffs.

"I'm sorry we have to do this Mr. Van der Woodsen, but you're under arrest for the murder of Derek Anderson," Detective Abrams said, bringing his cuffs over to Eric.

Lily stood up, half panicked, half angered. "What? You can't arrest him! He was protecting himself!"

Detective Patton shot her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. We have a confession, and we have the murder weapon. According to the law, have to take him in. It's up to the court to decide now. If it was self-defense, as your son says it was, then he has nothing to worry about."

Lily clenched her fists. "If? If my son says he was defending himself, then he is! There's no 'if' about it!"

Detective Patton sighed. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. It's out of our hands now. Not to sound clichéd, but we're just doing out job."

"I won't let you do this!" Lily cried, trying to rush toward Detective Abrams, who was finishing up reading Eric his rights.

Rufus quickly grabbed Lily, and held her close to his chest. "Don't. We'll get Eric a lawyer. We'll get him out of this. Right now, grabbing a police officer—or worse, assaulting one—is only going to get you in jail. You can't be any help to Eric in jail."

"It's all right, Mom. Just get me a lawyer, all right?" Eric asked, looking at his mother with tear-filled eyes. He didn't know what made him sadder—the fact that he was going to jail, or the fact that he had killed a man, whether it was in self-defense or not.

Lily was sobbing now. "We'll be right there, my Darling. I'm going to call our lawyer, then I'm going to come down to the station."

The Detectives already had Eric in the elevator.

Eric looked around at his grief-stricken family, trying to take in their faces quickly before the elevator doors closed. He didn't have as long as he would like. And, he couldn't help but feel like the elevator doors closing was a metaphor for the door to his life being closed as well. After all, he killed a man. People who killed other people got life in prison, which really was like ending your life right there. It had been self-defense of course. But what if the judge and jury didn't see it that way?

Eric was quiet as he was shoved into the back of the squad car. He barely noticed the onlookers, who were obviously wondering what he had done to be shoved into the back of a squad car. Heck, he bet Gossip Girl would be delighted to get a good piece of juicy gossip like this.

Eric felt the tears fall down his cheeks. He had been trying so hard not to let his family see him cry. He didn't want to upset them anymore than they already were. But, now that he was in the dark with no family member in sight, he felt free to let them fall. He may not have known what the judge and jury would rule, but it didn't matter to him. The point was, he had killed a man. It didn't matter if that man was a horrible person who had tried to kill him, and it didn't matter that it was in self defense. He had killed a man. As far as Eric was concerned, his life was already over.


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: I'm so sorry this took me forever to write. I was going through some things, and I also had writer's block. I promise to try to get one a week now. Thanks to all of you who are still reading! Also, I am not sure how a trial really works and all that, but I read up on it a bit. Please forgive me if some things aren't the way a trial goes. :) xoxo- RuflyGirl_

_**Unloveable**_

_**Chapter 10: Eric's Back and Your Gonna Be In Trouble!**_

Eric was numb. It was as if his body had just shut down and he was working on autopilot now.

He went through the booking and the finger printing without feeling. It seemed right now, feeling nothing was the best way to feel. If that made any sense.

They put him in a holding cell. He didn't know when he'd be called in for them to decide his bail. He wondered if he'd even get bail after what he had done. Did they give murderers bail? He somehow highly doubted it. It seemed so odd referring to himself as a murderer. He didn't remember anything after being pinned against that wall. It seemed, the harder he tried to remember, the further away his memories seemed. It was a good thing he had turned off all feeling, he thought. Because he was sure his body would be too confused to figure out if he was angry with himself for both not remembering and for killing a man, or if he was just sad that his life was basically over.

The guard came over. "You have a visitor." His tone was formal and without emotion. There was no emotion in his eyes either. Eric wondered if the whole "no emotion" thing happened to everyone in prison.

The guard opened the cell, and in walked Lily.

Lily watched as the guard locked the bars behind her.

"Call for me when you want to leave," the guard said to her before walking away. Lily then she turned back to her son. "I've gotten you the best criminal defense lawyer money can buy. He's on his way now. He'll be here in time for your arraignment."

Eric sighed, and sat down on the cold, stone bench. "Thanks, but I really don't need a lawyer. I'm pleading guilty. I'm just going to have to deal with life in prison." Eric didn't want to get off Scott-free for a crime he committed just because he was rich—especially not when the crime was taking another man's life. He always hated when people like Lindsey Lohan got off with a slap on the wrist just because they were a star. It was so unfair. So why should _he_ get off with a slap on the wrist just because he was rich? Especially when the crime he committed was far worse than anything Lindsey Lohan had ever done.

Lily spoke so sharply, that is made Eric jump. "Eric James Van der Woodsen, I don't care how old you are, if I ever hear you talking like that again, I'm going to take you over my lap, and spank you!"

Eric shrugged. "Go ahead. I'd deserve it."

Lily sighed, then went to sit down next to Eric on the stone bench. She paused for a moment as she inspected it.

"It's fine, Mother. It's not like anyone peed on it," Eric stated.

Lily cast her gaze around the dingy cell. "In a place like this, you never know." Even so, she at down next to her son. "Eric, look at me."

"I don't want to." Eric kept his gaze to the cold, cement floor.

Lily reached out her hands and took Eric's head between them, forcing his face toward hers.

Eric sighed; annoyed. "What, Mother?"

Lily kept Eric's face between her hands. "Now you listen up! I don't care if you're legally an adult now. You are still my child, and I am still your mother. As your mother, I will not allow you to just give up. You are far too young to jus be throwing your life away over something you might or might not have even done."

Eric glared at her. Sometimes, he really wished his mother would just mind her own business. "I did it, Mother. Nobody else was there. It had to be me! Why should I get away with murder just because I'm rich?"

"Well, I'm still not entirely convinced that you did it. But even if you did, who cares?" Lily crossed her arms over her chest now. "He was going to kill you, so, as far as I'm concerned, that son of a bitch got what he deserved."

"Mother!" Eric protested.

Lily glared at him. "Well, he did! And frankly, I don't know why you're defending him."

Eric sighed. "I'm not defending him. I just don't think it's right to speak ill of the dead, no matter how they acted when they were alive."

"So, you think you should have just let him kill you then?" Lily asked.

Eric shook his head. "Of course not!"

"Well, then what did you expect to do?" Lily asked.

Eric sighed again. It seemed he had been doing that a lot lately. Not that he didn't have reason to. He had a lot of reason to sigh, come to think of it. "I just wanted to fight him off. Maybe leave him temporarily immobile—long enough for me to escape."

Lily shook her head. "He would have just kept hunting you down and finding you. You never would have been safe, Eric! Even if he ended up in prison, I'm sure he has plenty of friends that wouldn't be locked up that would be more than willing to finish the job for him. I mean, really, Eric. Do you think a guy like that has nice, innocent, churchgoing friends that wouldn't hurt a fly?"

"I never wanted him to die, Mother," Eric snapped.

Lily sighed. "Yeah, well, we can't always get what we want, can we?"

Eric looked back to the cement cell room floor. "Apparently not."

The guard came back then. "They're ready for your arraignment." He showed no more emotion than before.

Eric and Lily both stood up.

"Eric—" Lily began.

"I don't want to hear it, Mother, so just save it, all right?" Eric asked.

Lily's mouth dropped open. "Eric, I was just..." She trailed off as the bars opened, and the guard took Eric away.

"You coming out, or would you prefer to stay?" a new guard asked her with an amused smirk.

"Very funny," Lily muttered, unamused. She quickly rushed on ahead to catch up with her son. There was no way she was letting him give up his life. No way.

~GG~

The arraignment went by faster than Eric had expected. He didn't even have to plead anything. The lawyer his mother had gotten for him, EJ Scott, explained to him that he wouldn't have to give his plea until the pretrial conference, which was scheduled for the very next morning. He did end up getting bail. Eric half wondered if the judge had been paid off. He wouldn't have put it past his mother. His bail was posted for five hundred thousand dollars. Of course, coming from a wealthy family, it was no trouble at all for his mother to post his bail. He was out within the hour.

After his mother pledging her undying gratitude to EJ, and, after EJ agreed to meet them at the apartment so that they could discuss a game plan before the pretrial conference, EJ, Eric, Lily, and Rufus left the jail, and headed back to the apartment.

"I don't deserve bail," Eric muttered once they had arrived home. He plopped himself down onto the couch. "I'm pleading guilty."

"What? No fricking way!" Jenny, who had been waiting at home for him, said in shock. Rufus and Lily had talked her into staying back, telling her they thought the fewer people that went to the station, the better. She figured they were secretly afraid she'd go off on the police for arresting Eric. She knew, the truth was, she probably would have, so she had agreed to stay back. She hadn't wanted to ruin things for Eric.

Lily glared at him, then turned to her husband. "Talk to him. Please! He listens to you. I'm just his mother so of course he won't listen to me. I only cared him for nine months and went through forty hours of labor. Why should he care what I have to say? He wants to plead guilty, and take his punishment. He doesn't even want to fight!"

"Well, that's not going to happen! I'm not going to let that jerk ruin his life even from the dead," Rufus stated simply.

"Yes! That's exactly what I was trying to tell him, but he doesn't want to listen to me," Lily stated.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Hello, I'm still in the room, remember?"

Rufus sighed, and sat down on the couch next to Eric, before turning his attention to him. "Eric, don't plead guilty. I'm begging you."

Eric turned to face him. "I'm not going to lie, Rufus. I did it. I'm not going to plead not guilty."

Jenny hugged her step brother from behind. "Eric, please don't let Derek get you even from the dead. You don't deserve to go to jail! His friends are the ones who should be in jail. Please not guilty."

"Actually, I think it would be better for him to plead guilty. Admitting one's guilt will put him in the judge's favor. He has to show that he is sorry for what he did, and fessing up to it is the first start," EJ stated. "I have no doubt in my mind that, after the judge hears Eric's side of the story, he will let him off on self-defense. Eric never would have killed the man otherwise."

Rufus nodded. "All right."

"I still hate my son pleading guilty," Lily said hesitantly.

Rufus squeezed her hand. "But, Lil, if this is what will get him out of prison, don't you want to try it?"

Lily sighed. "I suppose so.I just wish there was another way."

"Unfortunately, there really isn't," EJ stated. "This is the best way to go. Any other way might prove more difficult to get him off without a criminal record."

Jenny sighed. "Well, then, I guess he should plead guilty. He's not getting a criminal record because of Derek and his lowlife thugs."

"Will you agree to this, Eric?" Lily asked, eyeing her son like a hawk.

Eric sighed, then nodded. "If that is what the judge decides, then of course I'll go for it. I don't actually _want_ to spend the rest of my life in jail. But I don't want any special treatment just because I'm Eric Van der Woodsen either. I want a fair trial."

"Usually, my clients will do whatever it takes to get off Scott-free," EJ said with a smirk.

Lily sighed. "Yeah, well, unfortunately, my son has a conscious."

Eric rolled his eyes. Leave it to his mother to not want him to have a conscious.

They spend a little bit more time talking about the pretrial conference, then, finally, after what seemed to Eric like forever, EJ finally left. EJ was to meet them at the court room the next day at ten in the morning. The pretrial conference was at eleven, but EJ suggested he go early so they can discuss a few more things. Also, EJ said it would look good to be early. Eric didn't know what more they could possibly have to discuss, but whatever got EJ to leave...

"Can I get you anything to eat?" Lily asked, turning to her son once EJ had left.

Eric shook his head. "No thanks. I don't have much of an appetite lately. I just want to go to bed. I need to be well-rested for my pre trial conference." Eric clumped up the stairs and to his room then, thankful that his mother, Rufus, and Jenny let him go without trying to talk to him more. Eric just wished he could sleep forever. Then he could put this whole miserable nightmare behind him. Sadly, he couldn't. He had done the crime, and now, he'd probable have to do the time—ready or not.

~GG~

Eric felt like he had a huge bolder stuck in his stomach ever since he had woken up. Lily had begged him to eat some breakfast, but he had refused. How could you eat when you were going to be tried for murder?

Eric had insisted that no one go to the courthouse with him. Their presence there was only going to make it worse. He was going to have a hard enough time dealing with the judge and DA. He didn't need his crazy family there too, no matter how much he loved them.

He arrived at the court room and met up with EJ. He barely took in anything EJ had said to him. Everything was happening to him as if it were happening to someone else, and Eric was just watching. He was on autopilot, just doing what EJ told him to do, and answering questions when asked. He was going to be tried as an adult since the charge was so serious, and he was only a couple months away from being eighteen. That much he had gotten.

It was only when the district attorney said who would be a witness against his behalf that Eric snapped to it.

"We have several of Mr. Anderson's friends who have agreed to testify how Eric stalked Mitchel, and was extremely obsessed with him," District Attorney Jennifer Woods told the judge.

"Excuse me, what? Stalked him? I didn't stalk him. He and his friends bashed me, and then he tried to finish the job and kill me!" Eric exclaimed.

The DA turned to him. "But you're not the one who ended up dead, are you, Mr. Van der Woodsen? Poor Derek Anderson is dead because you killed him!"

"I was protecting myself!" Eric protested.

EJ put a hand over Eric's shoulder to calm him. "Stay calm. She's just trying to goad you."

The DA smirked at Eric. "You have quite the temper on you, don't you? I can definitely see you killing Mr. Anderson."

Eric narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't know me, nor did you know Derek. You weren't there to see what happened. You can decide anything."

The DA nodded. "You're right. We'll let the jury decide. I'm sure they will make sure justice is paid."

"Justice has already been paid," Eric said coldly. The DA was really starting to tick him off. She sure wasn't acting very professional.

"So you killed Derek in revenge because he didn't feel the same way about you as you felt about him?" DA Woods asked, an eyebrow raised.

"My client doesn't have to say anything more. Need I remind you, Jennifer, this is just the pretrial conference, and not the trial itself?" EJ asked, sounding extremely annoyed himself.

The DA held her head high. "Mr. Scott, I'd advice you not to call me Jennifer in court."

"As you wish, _DA Woods_," EJ said sarcastically.

DA woods, shot him a look.

The judge cleared his throat. "If you two are done bickering, I want to ask Mr. Van der Woodsen, what is your plea?"

Eric swallowed hard, then answered. He had no doubt now. "Guilty by reason of self-defense. I never would have killed a man if I wasn't defending myself."

The judge nodded. He turned to the DA. "Would you like to offer any plea bargains?"

The DA looked Eric in the eyes. "I'm prepared to offer you a plea bargain of twenty-five years in prison."

"That's insane!" EJ protested.

DA Woods smirked. "I think it's being rather generous myself. I'm taking pity on him since he has no prior record, and because he's so young. He could very well get life. If he's smart, he'll take it." She nodded at Eric.

Eric glared at her. "_Because_ I'm smart, I'm not taking it. I'm going to fight with everything I have. I did what needed to be done to save my own life, and I will _not_ go down for a scumbag who tried to kill me!" He clenched his fists so hard, his nails were digging into his palms. He didn't care though. For the first time since this whole situation occurred, he felt like himself again. If Derek's friends wanted to play hardball, well, they were going to get it! How dare they try to turn this on him and say he stalked Derek? Oh, it was on. Between Derek and his friends, they almost killed him twice before. He'd be damed if he was going to let them take his life away this time (so to speak). No, Eric Van der Woodsen was back, and this time, he wasn't taking any crap from anyone—not the DA, and certainly not Derek's scum bucket lying little friends.

As if reading his thoughts, EJ smiled, and gently nudged him. "Welcome back," EJ whispered to him.

Eric smiled too. "Thanks," he whispered back. It was good to _be_ back.

"All right then. The trial will be set to take place a week from today at ten o'clock. I will see you all there." The judge banged his gavel, and that was that.

They all rose for the judge, and, when he had gone back into his chambers, they left too.

"You should have taken the deal, Mr. Van der Woodsen. Twenty-five years would be a chunk of your life, but at least it wouldn't be _all_ of your life," the DA said in passing.

Eric nodded politely at her, doing his best to not let her get to him. "Thank you for your concern, District Attorney Woods, but I have faith in my lawyer."

DA Woods eyed him, then walked off without another word.

"It's good to see this side of you," EJ said to him with a grin.

Eric grinned. "I'm counting on you to get me out of this. I can't let those scumbags win. I can't believe they're going to lie! I mean, I knew they'd want me punished, but to lie?"

EJ raised an eyebrow. "Does it really surprise you that they'd lie when they were willing to kill you?"

Eric shook his head. "No, I guess not."

"Don't worry. I have your back. I don't want those scumbags to win anymore than you do." EJ pat Eric's back. "See you soon. I'll be in touch."

Eric nodded, and they shook hands. "See you. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," EJ said, before disappearing down the hall.

Eric sighed, then went out to hail a cab. He was sure his mother would be thrilled with his newfound sense of determination not to rot in prison.

The more Eric thought about Derek's friends' lies about him, the angrier he got. There was no way he was letting Derek's friends get off Scott free and put him in prison. No. Ficking. Way. It was about time they all learned not to mess with Eric Van der Woodsen. After all, look what happened to Derek when he had tried to mess with him. Eric smirked. They'd be sorry. He'd make sure of it, for, from that day on, he refused to be the victim any longer. This time, Eric Van der Woodsen was fighting back, and this time, he intended on winning.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 11: The Trial Begins**_

Time had flown by faster than Eric would have liked. It was already only a day until the trial. Eric's whole family had agreed to be character witnesses. Eric was grateful to them. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, but he still couldn't believe that Derek's friends had lied to the DA and told her that he had been stalking Derek, and that Derek had feared for his life.

"What a bag of crap!" Serena had exclaimed; outraged when she heard what had happened.

"We're not going to let them get away with this. I have half a mind to sue his friends for deformation of character!" William had protested. He had been out of town on a business trip again, but had quickly wrapped up his business, and come home to be there for his son.

"We're not going down without a fight! I can testify if it will help," Chuck, Eric's adoptive brother had offered.

"Me too!" Serena's best friend Blair, piped in. "There's no one better at revenge and sabotage than I am. If they want to play this game, then I'll play it better!"

Eric grinned. "You guys are amazing. "Blair, I appreciate your willingness to help out, but I don't want you to sabotage anyone. I want this to be a fair trial. If _they_ aren't going to make it fair, then it's up to me to." He turned to Chuck. "I appreciate that very much, Chuck, but, considering our past history, I don't think it would be wise to put you up on the stand. Who knows what the DA will drag up and twist into helping her?"

Chuck nodded. "Point taken." Eric and Chuck had just recently repaired their relationship. They had been at adds after Chuck had taken advantage of Jenny's distress one night, and taken her virginity. Once Eric had calmed down, he realized they were both equally to blame. His and Chuck's relationship had always been a strange one, but they were better now. They felt more like brothers now.

"Well, there must be _something_ we can do," Blair stated with the pout she always got when she didn't get her way.

Eric smirked. "Trust me, Blair. Staying out of this is help enough."

Blair didn't know how to react to that, so she just took a seat on the couch, and listened for the game plan.

"I just wish I had met Derek," Jenny stated.

"Nobody met Derek?" EJ asked. He looked around the room, but everyone was shaking their head.

"We didn't even know about him. I mean, we knew he had a boyfriend, but he'd never tell us anything about him," Lily stated, speaking for herself and Rufus.

Rufus nodded his agreement. "I knew he was crazy about him. That's about the extent of what I knew.

"Why did you tell Rufus you had found love and not me, your father?" William asked Eric.

"You weren't exactly around enough. I confide in Rufus. It's easier to talk to a non-blood parent. It's embarrassing to talk to your biological parents," Eric said with a shrug.

That seemed to satisfy William enough.

"He talked about him all the time with me. He never did get to show me pictures though, because he lost his cell phone that had all the pictures on them," Jenny explained.

EJ turned to Eric. "You didn't have any regular photos?"

Eric shook his head. "For some reason, I never really thought about it." He sighed. "What good would they have done anyway?"

"They would have showed that he was just as into you as you were to him," EJ answered.

"But isn't it a good thing that he doesn't have pictures? If he was a stalker like Derek's friends said, he'd have a lot of pictures of Derek," Blair pointed out.

"That's a good point!" Serena chimed in.

EJ nodded. "You would think. But DA Woods is very conniving. She would just argue that Eric could have destroyed all the evidence while he was out on bail."

"The police did a search of the house, and all over Eric's room shortly after they arrested him," Rufus pointed out.

EJ shook his head. "She can still say that one of you helped get rid of the evidence, or that he got rid of all the pictures before he killed Derek, knowing that the cops would later come to investigate."

Jenny sighed. "The DA sounds like a real bitch."

EJ smirked. "She is, but in that case, she'd just be doing her job."

"So, do we have any case at all?" Jenny asked.

EJ nodded. "We have a good one. You guys will provide great character witnesses, and there is no proof that Eric killed Derek for no reason. They can't prove that it wasn't in self-defense."

"That's because it was," Eric stated.

EJ nodded. "I know that. All I have to do is help the judge and jury see that. I'm really not worried. Everything will work out."

Eric sighed. He just wished he could believe him. However, now that he knew exactly how malicious and conniving Derek's friends could be, he wasn't so sure.

~GG~

Eric knew he'd have to see them. Still, it didn't make the blow any easier when he saw them in the courtroom. The day had come all too soon for his taste. In some ways, he just wanted to get the trial over and done with. On other hand, he wanted to avoid it for as long as he could. Then again, it had to be done, so he might as well get it over with. Now, he sat next to EJ, who was looking through some papers in his briefcase.

Eric was trying to forget the fact that his parents, siblings, and friends were all sitting in the section behind him. He could practically feel his mother's eyes boring into him. However, he sensed a much for powerful force. That would be the force of Derek's friends' eyes boring into him.

He knew he'd have to look at them sometimes, so he might as well get it over with.

With a sigh, Eric looked over at Derek's friends. Jake's eyes were the most cold—almost wicked—looking eyes. It actually made Eric shiver, despite his own anger at Derek.

"You're going down." Jake had mouthed the words to him, but Eric had no trouble understanding regardless. Jake pointing a finger at him didn't help things.

Eric moved his gaze onto Jessica, who was too busy chewing her gum and twirling her hair while looking at a magazine to pay any attention to him.

Eric rolled his eyes. A regular observer might think she was just a harmless, ditzy girl. If they knew her like he did, they'd know that she was a cold-hearted, dangerous bitch in disguise.

Next, his eyes fell upon Gia, who looked away the second her eyes met his. Eric had thought Gia was a nice girl. She had never really given him any reason to dislike her. Then again, Derek had seemed like a nice guy when he had first met him. That was the most wrong first impression Eric had ever had, Eric couldn't help but think.

Next, was Mitchel. Mitchel was playing with his hands, his eyes darting from side to side. When his eyes met Eric's, he just stared at Eric. For what felt like and eternity, they just stared at each other—hazel eyes to brown eyes. Finally, Eric broke the gaze. It was making him unsettled.

Eric wrung his own hands together then, as Mitchel had been doing.

Suddenly, Eric felt a hand on his shoulder. "Don't let them intimidate you."

Eric jumped at both the touch and the voice.

"Sorry. I did't meant to scare you."

Eric sighed; relaxing when he realized it was just Jenny.

Jenny smiled sympathetically at him. "I saw what Jake just did to you. What did he mouth? I couldn't quite tell from my seat."

Eric refused to look at Jake again. "I'm pretty sure he said I'm going down."

"If we weren't in a room full of witnesses, I'd make him sorry he ever said that," Jenny said, cracking her knuckles.

Eric smiled. He could always count on his spunky little stepsister to make him feel better.

The bailiff spoke. "All rise. The court for the district of Manhattan is now in session. The Honorable Judge Walker now presiding."

"Good luck!" Jenny said with a quick and gentle shake to Eric's shoulder.

"Thanks," Eric said. He had a feeling he'd need it.

Everyone stood, and in walked Judge Walker.

"You may be seated," the bailiff announced after the judge had taken a seat.

Everyone sat back down.

Eric was no nervous, he could actually feel his heart pounding in his chest without having to feel it with his hand.

"George, please state the date and case," Judge walker ordered.

"The District of Manhattan in the state of New York announces the case of Van der Woodsen verses Anderson in the murder trial of Mr. Eric Van der Woodsen. The date October 10, 2011, Your Honor," The bailiff announced."

Judge Walker looked at Eric. "Mr. Van der Woodsen, how do you plead?"

Eric stood up. "Guilty. By reason in self defense." Eric knew one usually pled not guilty when it was self-defense, but he did kill Derek, and he didn't want to lie. Also, as EJ had said, pleading guilty and admitting his guilt would help his case. Eric hoped it would anyway.

Judge Walker then turned to the lawyers. "I would like your opening statements now. I'll let the prosecutor go first."

DA Woods stood up, and kind of gave a little smirk to EJ and Eric, it was quick—minuscule practically—but it didn't escape EJ _or_ Eric.

"Ignore her," EJ muttered low enough so that only Eric could hear.

Eric nodded. He knew from living in New York, sometimes keeping your mouth shut was in your best interest.

DA Woods turned her attention to the jury as she paced back in forth in front of them, facing them every few seconds. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are here today to bring justice to an innocent man, who was mercilessly slain. Derek Anderson was a young man who had barely turned eighteen. He practically still had his whole life ahead of him. That is, until he met a man whose feelings he didn't return. Then, when the man he met, Mr. Van der Woodsen, didn't get the attention he desired, Mr. Van der Woodsen killed him in cold blood. He took a twelve-inch switch blade, and stabbed Mr. Anderson until he could no longer defend himself. Mr. Anderson was stabbed a total of five times—once in the back, once in the right shoulder, and three times in the stomach."

"What are those of?" Eric whispered to EJ, when he saw the jury had been handed some pictures, and were passing them around as they all took turns looking at them.

"The crime scene photos I imagine," EJ whispered back.

Eric suddenly felt sick.

"Mr. Van der Woodsen then fled the scene of the crime, leaving Mr. Anderson to bleed to death. Is that the kind of man you want to set free? As the district attorney, I can assure you that I have seen a lot of cases in my life. There have been ones where justice has been served, and then there were the more unfortunate cases where the criminal got off, and ended up hurting even more innocent people. You all look like a smart jury. I trust that you all will be smart enough to see through Mr. Van der Woodsen's deceit. Thank you." DA Woods finished. She then walked back to her seat, quickly shooting that smirk at EJ and Eric again.

"If I _were_ to kill someone, it'd be her," Eric quipped swallowing hard as the judge was handed the pictures.

EJ snickered, then cleared his throat, and stood up to give his opening statement.

Eric suddenly noticed how that more enlarged pictures were set up now, to show the audience. He felt his stomach start to churn. He focused on EJ so that he didn't have to stare at the pictures.

EJ walked over to the jury, and nodded politely at them. "Hello, Everyone. I trust you are all doing well today."

Some of the jury smiled, while others remained straight-faced.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are here today to decide the fate of my client, Mr. Eric Van der Woodsen. It was mentioned that Mr. Anderson was freshly eighteen. Well, my client isn't even eighteen yet, if we're going the rout of having your whole life ahead of you. But that's not what this trial is about. Is it? No. I don't know about you wonderful people, but I'm here to make sure that justice is served. And by justice, I mean making sure that my client isn't put in jail for a crime he didn't commit—at least not without it absolutely having been necessary. My client was viciously attacked by Mr. Anderson and his friends one night, and then, when they didn't get the job done, Mr. Anderson tried to kill my client to make sure that he stayed silent. Things didn't go according to his plan, however, when my client proved to be stronger than Mr. Anderson thought. My client had no choice but to kill Mr. Anderson. It was either that, or be killed himself. Now, I don't know about you all, but wouldn't you rather kill your attacker than let him or her kill you? DA woods was right about one thing—you do look like a smart jury. That being said, I'm sure you will make the right decision, and therefore not place my client in prison when he was simply just defending himself. Thank you."

EJ took his seat, and Eric gave him a grateful smile.

EJ smiled at him in return, and winked.

Judge Walker cleared his throat. "I'm going to let the prosecution bring in their first witness."

DA Woods stood, her head held high. "Thank you, Your Honor. I would like to call up my first witness, a friend of Derek's, Mr. Jacob Henderson."

Eric instantly felt sick. He was sure Jake was going to be ready with a pack of lies.

"Please place your right hand on the Bible," the bailiff ordered him.

Jacob, looking clean-cut in a suit and tie with his hair gelled back, made Eric feel even more sick. Though this time, it was more of a disgusted sickness. Everything was fake about Jake. Everything was fake about _all_ of Derek's friends, just as everything had been fake about Derek. That is, until Derek had shown his true colors.

Eric shivered at the memory.

Jacob placed his hand over the Bible as instructed.

"Do you solemnly swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the bailiff asked.

Jake nodded. "Yes, Sir, I do."

"Please take a seat," the bailiff ordered.

Jake promptly did as told.

DA Woods then took over. "Good morning, Mr. Henderson. How are you doing today?"

Jake shrugged. "I guess that depends on how this trial ends."

A few people in the audience snickered. Eric wondered how people could find anything humorous about a murder trial.

DA Woods nodded. "That's understandable. I know that Derek was a good friend of yours."

"He was my _best_ friend," Jake corrected. He glared at Eric.

Eric broke eye contact, and looked down at the desk in front of him. He couldn't bare to look at Jake. He could look any of Derek's friends in the eyes. Any one of them except for Jake that was. There was just something in Jacob's eyes that seemed almost...evil.

"Mr. Henderson, when did you first hear about Mr. Van der Woodsen being in Mr. Anderson's life?" DA Woods asked next.

Eric couldn't help but look at Jake then, despite how much he hated to. Jake's eyes actually looked sad to him. After all, Jake was a _really_ good actor, Eric knew. Jake had always been a little bit of a cad, but there had been a time when Eric had thought that he and Jake could be friends. That was of course, before the whole bashing incident.

Jake actually got tears in his eyes, and he put a first to his mouth. He was silent for a brief moment before speaking in a teary-voice. "It's hard to talk about. I keep thinking, if only I had known what Eric was going to do to him, I could have told Derek to stay away from him. To cut things off before it got that far!"

Eric clenched his fists underneath the table.

James must have sensed his tension, for he placed a hand firmly over his shoulder, and gently squeezed in a silent warning for him to calm down.

"I know it's hard, but this is important. If you really want to help your friend get justice, you have to answer my questions, okay?" DA Woods asked in a tone that could almost be passed off as compassion. _Almost._

Jake sniffled, and looked up at her. "I'm sorry. The first time I heard about him was when Derek told me that he had bumped into to some guy on the street who got stuck in the rain, and didn't have money for a cab ride home."

"That guy being Mr. Van der Woodsen." DA Woods said it as a statement—not a question.

Jake nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. Eric didn't want to take his money, so Derek offered to walk him home since he had an umbrella, and Eric didn't."

"So, Jake walked Eric home. Then what? How did it happen that they kept in contact?" DA Woods asked.

"Well, Eric was really grateful for what Derek did for him. Also, they had talked on the way to Eric's place, and found out that they had a lot in common." Jake snorted. "Even their names were similar—Eric and Derek. Derek later told me that he thought Eric was a pretty cool guy, and invited him to lunch and a movie the next day. He had no idea then that Eric was gay," Jacob began.

Eric quietly sighed. Well, at least he was telling the truth so far about how he and Derek had met. However, he knew that more than likely wasn't going to last. The lies were soon to start up again, he was sure. He was willing to bet money that swearing on the Bible meant nothing to Jake.

"So," DA Woods, began, "when did Derek first realize that Eric was gay?"

"Well," Jake continued, "during the movie they went to, Eric's hand kept brushing up against Derek's in the popcorn bowl. Derek thought it was kind of weird, but brushed it off as a coincidence, thinking they were both just hungry at the same time. Then, after the movie, Eric asked Derek if he would like to hang out again. Derek figured, why not? He was always looking for new friends, because that is just the kind of guy Derek was. He was friendly, and kind, and wanted everyone to like him. He was a bit naive at times, actually. He easily trusted people."

Eric coughed. It was a fake cough of course. Judging from the minuscule second of a scowl Jake shot him, Jake had gotten the point.

"And Eric was one of those people that he trusted," DA Woods said, again as more of a statement than a question.

Jake nodded. "That's right. So, they exchanged numbers, and then, out of the blue, Eric pulled Derek in for a kiss smack dab on the lips."

"And what did Derek do?" DA Woods asked.

"Well, Derek was shocked, of course. He told Eric politely that he was sorry, but he didn't like men in that way," Jake lied.

Eric felt his heart beat faster. He knew the lies were about to come, but he still couldn't help but be shocked hearing them now.

"And what did Eric say?" DA Woods asked.

"Eric apologized, saying that it would never happen again—that he had just gotten caught up in the moment." Jake answered. "Derek, being the understanding and forgiving guy he was, told Eric not to worry about it. Eric asked if he had just screwed up them being friends. Derek told him that, as long as he remembered that they would only ever be that—friends; there would be no problem. Eric promised they could pretend that never happened, and that it would never happen again."

"But it did, didn't it?" DA Woods asked.

Jake nodded, his face turning solemn again. "It did. He hit on Derek again the next time they got together, which happened to be at the bowling alley with me, my girlfriend Jessica, Derek, and our friends Mitchel and Gia. Right away, we could tell Eric hadn't gotten the hint. He came in wearing these jeans that looked like they were made for a girl, and an even tighter black T-shirt. He gave Derek a kiss on the cheek in greeting. We could all tell right away by the way he batted his eyelashes at Derek that he was still crazy about him, despite Derek's straight status."

Eric had been trying his best to contain himself, but that was it. He couldn't take it any longer. He stood up, and clenched his fists. "That is a bold-faced lie! Derek kissed me back. Derek did not tell me he wasn't gay! He wanted me to fall for him to that he could lure me in and hurt me!"

Judge walker banged his gavel. "Sit down, Mr. Van der Woodsen. You will have your turn!"

EJ placed a hand overtop of Eric's shoulder and forcefully pushed him back down. "Keep. Your mouth. Shut. You will have your turn," he said through clenched teeth.

"But he's lying!" Eric whispered.

"I know that!" EJ snapped. "You'll have your chance to prove your case in a bit! Just calm down. You're not helping matters."

Eric crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "Fine," he whispered.

"Please, continue Mr. Henderson," Judge Walker ordered.

Jake began again as if Eric hadn't just interrupted. "Every time Eric would go up to bowl, he would shake his hips back and forth suggestively, and look over his shoulder at Derek and smile. It made Derek really uncomfortable. Derek told me he'd have to explain to him again that he was straight."

"Did Mr. Van der Woodsen make any more advances on Derek that night?" DA Woods asked.

Jake nodded. "Yes, he did. We had dinner at the bowling alley after the game. Eric was on the girls' team since we had an extra guy. The girls lost, so us guys paid for pizza, nachos, and soda at the alley for dinner. Eric sat next to Derek, and his chair was a little closer to Derek's than it needed to be. Oh, and he did kiss him in the cheek one more time to thank him for the food. Derek had blushed, and moved his chair a little bit away from Eric, but Eric hadn't seemed to notice. Anyway, the rest of dinner went by uneventful. It was when we went to the club after that Eric started making bigger passes at him."

DA Woods raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Jake wrung his hands together. "It was quite embarrassing, really. Even _I_ was embarrassed, and I was only watching! Eric wanted to slow dance with Derek, but Derek politely declined, saying that he wasn't a slow dancer, and wanted to wait for the music to pick up. So, Eric told him to find a table, and he'd go get them some drinks."

Eric stood up, and slapped his palm on the desk. He was so outraged, he could barely even _think_ straight. "I didn't even drink that night! I _can't_ even drink. I'm underage!"

Judge Walker banged his gavel. "Mr. Van der Woodsen! I will _not_ have you yelling out in my court! Wait your turn! If I get one more outburst from you, you will be held in contempt."

Eric sat back down. He didn't dare look at EJ, whom he was sure was glaring at him.

"We all drank that night. I'm good friends with the owner and the bartender, and they always hook my friends and I up. After all, we're in college. What college kid doesn't drink, right?" Jake asked.

DA Woods nodded. "I agree, as long as you weren't driving."

Jake shook his head. "No ma'am. None of us were."

DA Woods smiled. "Good."

"Objection! We're not on trial here for underage drinking," EJ stated.

Judge Walker nodded. "Sustained. Please stick to the point, Mr. Henderson and DA Woods."

"Sorry, Your Honor," DA Woods stated. She turned her attention back to Jake. "So, then what happened?"

Jake continued. "Well, we all only had one beer, but Eric had about two or three. Every time a dance ended, it seemed he felt it meant he had to drink. At one point, he was so plastered, he started grinding up against Derek to one of the songs. Derek was mortified, and pushed him away. 'Eric, I thought I made it clear, I don't feel the same way about you as you feel about me. You promised to back off,' Derek had said to him. Eric then laughed. 'I'm sorry,' he had said. 'I'm just drunk.' Then he staggered back to the table, sat down, then rested his head in his arms. We called him a cab. Derek, being the good man that he was, insisted on riding along so that he could get Eric to his apartment all right."

"And did he get him there without a problem?" DA Woods asked.

Jake nodded. "Yes, and no. According to Derek, Eric tried to make out with him during the cab ride home. Derek had to keep pushing him away."

"That is a lie! None of that happened!" Eric exclaimed, standing up, and slapping the desk so hard it made his hand sting. He didn't care though. He was _so_ ticked off.

Judge Walker turned to the court deputy, and pointed at Eric. "Take him out of here!" He then turned and faced Eric. Mr. Van de Woodsen, until you learn how to behave in my courtroom, you will _not_ return. You hear me?" Judge walker snapped.

Eric, half wanting to throw something, half wanting to collapse on the floor and cry, just bit his bottom lip and nodded.

"Go get yourself together. I don't want to see you back in here until you have calmed down. You're lucky I don't pronounce you guilty right now!" Judge Walker snapped.

"I'm sorry, Your Honor. It won't happen again," Eric said.

The court deputy escorted him out then.

"I'm going!" Eric muttered, walking on ahead, and leaving the courtroom without any more assistance.

Meanwhile, back in the courtroom, once Eric had gone, Judge Walker ordered Jake to continue.

"Eric did come to it a little more by the time he got to his apartment. He apologized to Derek again, then went into the building. Derek just went home then," Jake explained.

DA Woods nodded. She was looking at the doors Eric has just exited, a smug smirk on her face. "Thank you, Mr. Henderson. That is all the questions I have for now. I rest my case."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 12: Lies! All Lies!**_

"Since Mr. Van der Woodsen is not present, we will take a short break. Court will resume in fifteen minutes," Judge Walker stated once DA Woods was done questioning Jake. He banged his gavel.

"All rise!" the bailiff ordered.

Everyone rose, and, once the judge had gone back into his chambers, everyone got up to stretch, and no doubt discuss what had gone on with Eric.

Eric's family immediately left to go find him, as did EJ.

Eric had chosen to sit on a bench outside the courtroom. It was the place he could hear what was going on inside the best. He hadn't wanted to miss any of the proceedings. When he saw his family, friends, and lawyer all exit the courtroom, he held up his hands in defense. "Before any of you scold me, I'm sorry. I will behave from now on. I promise. I just couldn't stand hearing Jake lie like that after what he and his friends did to me!"

EJ nodded, and placed a hand over Eric's shoulder. "I understand, but, Eric, you cannot show a bad temper! That will _not_ help your case at all. I know it's hard, but you have to remain calm, and trust me on this. I promise you, if you do that, you will have a much better chance at getting justice than you would if you continue having these outbursts."

Eric nodded. "I know. Like I said, I won't let it happen again. I promise."

EJ nodded, and released his grip on Eric's shoulder. "Good."

Jenny sat down next to Eric, and placed an arm around him. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Don't let that ass hole get to you. Don't let him win."

Eric rested his head on hers. "I won't. I promise."

"Please, Eric. Don't ruin this," Lily said, taking her son's hand in her own and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"From the sound of it, I'd say you're more concerned about how it will make _you_ look, having a son that murdered someone, than you are about my getting justice. Don't you even care that they are spreading lies about me in there?" Eric asked.

Lily got tears in her eyes, and covered her mouth with her free hand. "Of course I care."

"Eric, don't talk to your mother that way. You know she cares. We all care. You just have to control your temper so that justice _will_ be served," William stated.

Rufus nodded. "Your father's right. Jake _wants_ you to react the way you did. I know it's hard, but don't give him what he wants."

"Show him that you're smarter than him," Dan chimed in.

Serena nodded. "And that you won't let him get to you anymore."

EJ looked at his watch. "We better get back in there."

Eric stood up. "I'm ready." He eyed his family. "I'll behave. I promise."

They all walked back into the courtroom then. Jessica, Gia, and Mitchel still had to take the stand.

Eric sighed, hoping his self restraint would be strong enough.

~GG~

EJ first chose to cross examine Jake.

"Mr. Henderson, were you with Mr. Anderson every time he was with Mr. Van der Woodsen?" EJ asked.

Jake shook his head. "Well, no, but no one is with their friend twenty-four seven. I never really liked Eric much, so I didn't like to be around when he was around. He was kind of creepy and made me uncomfortable."

EJ paced back and forth in front of Jake. "Well, then, Mr. Henderson, how did you know that Derek never acted like he liked Mr. Van der Woodsen in return? Maybe he only pretended to not like Mr. Van der Woodsen romantically when he was around his friends. Maybe he was embarrassed. Not sure of how his friends would react toward him having feelings for another man."

Jake laughed, and shook his head. "No, Sir! Derek was as straight as they came. There was not a gay bone in that man's body. He had no problem with gay people, of course. But he himself never understood the lifestyle. He'd be friends with gay people and treat them equally, but, when it came to liking other men romantically, he had zero interest. In fact, he was quite the lady's man. A bit of a player though." Jake snickered. "He always said that there were far too many good looking ladies to settle for just one."

"But why do you think Mr. Van der Woodsen would keep pursuing Derek if Derek never showed any interest in him?" EJ pressed.

Jake shrugged. "Heck if I know. I think he is a little sick in the head. He's obsessive, and willing to cling to anyone who was the slightest bit nice to him. He probably thought he could change Derek's nonexistent feelings for him or something."

EJ sighed, seemingly having given up. "No further questions, Your Honor."

Judge Walker nodded at Jake. "You may be seated, Mr. Henderson."

Jake sat down, looking smug.

"I'll have a better chance with the weaker links," EJ whispered to Eric.

Eric nodded in understanding.

"The Prosecution would like to call up their next witness, Your Honor," DA Woods said to Judge Walker.

"Go ahead," Judge Walker permitted.

DA Woods nodded. "The prosecution would like to call to the stand Miss Jessica Whitman."

Jessica walked up to the stand, still chewing her gum.

"Miss Whitman, please dispose of your gum," Judge Walker requested.

"Sorry, Your Honor," Jessica apologized. She took out her gum, and ditched it in the waste basket that the DA held up for her.

While Jessica was getting sworn in, the DA placed the basket back down beside her desk, then headed back over to question Jessica. "Miss Whitman, tell me about Mr. Van der Woodsen. How did he seem to you when you first met him?"

Jessica twirled her hair. "Well, at first he seemed nice. But it was clear from the start that he was obsessed with Derek. He followed him around like a lost little puppy dog looking for a new owner. Or in this case, a teen with a massive crush he so deeply wished would be returned."

"So, Mr. Van der Woodsen was desperate for Mr. Anderson to love him in return?" DA Woods asked.

EJ stood up. "Objection! Your Honor, how is Miss Whitman to know how Mr. Van der Woodsen was feeling? Last time I checked, no one could read minds."

A few of the audience snickered. The jury all smiled.

"Your Honor, I'm simply asking her for her opinion. Surely we all have those?" DA Woods defended, a smug little smirk on her face and an eyebrow raised.

"Please make yourself more clear, DA Woods. Let it be known that you're asking for an opinion, and not the state of mind Mr. Van Der Woodsen was in," Judge Walker ordered.

DA Woods nodded. "As you wish, Your Honor." She turned back to Jessica. "Let me rephrase that. In your opinion, did Mr. Van der Woodsen seem desperate for love?"

Jessica nodded. "Yes, Ma'am! The night we all went bowling together, he had his eyes on Derek most of the night. He was touching him every excuse he got." Jessica snickered. "He even asked Derek to go to the bathroom with him at one point during the night."

"Did Derek go with him?" DA Woods asked.

Jessica nodded. "He didn't want to be rude and say no."

"What happened in the bathroom? Did Derek ever tell you?" DA Woods asked next.

Jessica nodded. "Eric wanted to make out with him. Derek told him no, but Eric kept asking. He tried pushing Derek into a stall, but Derek told him no. Then, Eric backed him against the bathroom wall. Derek later told me that he said something like, "'Come on, I know you feel it too. You want me just as much as I want you. We have a connection!'"

"So, what did Derek do?" DA Woods asked. She seemed captivated by Jessica's story.

"Luckily, someone came into the bathroom then, and Derek took that opportunity to slip past Eric, and back into the bowling alley," Jessica explained. "The rest of the night went just as Jake said it did."

DA Woods smiled. "Thank you, Jessica. The Prosecution rests."

"Mr. Scott, would you like to cross-examine?" Judge Walker asked.

EJ stood up. "Yes, Your Honor." He walked over to Jessica. "Miss Whitman, why didn't Mr. Henderson mention the bathroom incident when he gave his recollection of that night?"

Jessica shrugged. "How should I know? I'm not a mind reader, remember?"

The audience, the DA, and the jury all laughed. Even Judge Walker had to smile.

EJ blushed.

"Your Honor, may I speak?" Jake asked, standing up.

Judge Walker nodded. "It's a little unconventional, but I suppose." He turned to EJ. "Mr. Scott, are you done questioning this witness?" he asked regarding Jessica.

EJ nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

Jessica left the stand looking smug, and twirling her hair again.

"Mr. Henderson, please take the stand again," Judge Walker ordered.

Jake did as told, and got sworn in again.

"I'll ask you then, Mr. Henderson. Why didn't you mention the bathroom incident when you were asked about that night?" EJ asked.

"It slipped my mind," Jake stated simply. "Sometimes, the harder you try to think of everything, the more likely you are to forget something. This was one of those cases." He smiled.

EJ nodded. "Fair enough. Now that I have you up here, I'd like you to take a look at these." He headed over to his briefcase and took out a couple of pictures. He handed them to the bailiff, who looked them over, then handed them to the judge, who looked them over, then handed them to Jake. "Do you recognize these pictures?"

Jake looked at the pictures then nodded. "They're from when Eric got beat up. It was a horrible thing that happened to him. Derek felt bad when it happened to him—we all did."

"Did you have anything to do with that or know who did?" EJ asked.

Jake shook his head. "No way! I am totally against violence a hundred percent! It solves nothing. Besides, even though Eric was crazy obsessed with Derek, none of us would have ever hurt him for it. Heck, by then, we didn't even think anything was _that_ bad with Eric anyway. We thought he was just a kid with a puppy love crush who couldn't quite get the picture that Derek didn't like him back in that way. Besides, Derek, myself, and Jessica were away in the Bahamas that week for a weekend getaway. We like to go a few times a year just to unwind."

"Do you have any proof you were there?" EJ asked as he took the pictures from Jake and handed them to the jury to pass around.

Jake shrugged. "Just some Bahama's shot glasses and a couple cheesy teeshirts, but the are back at my place. I wasn't aware I'd be needing them here."

EJ took the pictures back from the last jury member, and put them on the projector screen, letting Eric, the DA, and the audience, see the pictures of Eric's wounds, and of him in the hospital bed, unconscious.

Eric felt his stomach churn. He hadn't seen those before. He was surprised EJ hadn't warned him first.

"I don't know who beat Eric up. At the time, I was sorry that that had happened to him, but, now that I know he killed my friend, I'd like to shake whomever did it's hand," Jake stated.

EJ stared at him for a moment, as if contemplating saying something. Then he spoke, retaining his calm. "That is all the questions I have for you at this time. Thank you."

Jake left the stand, and Gia was called up next.

"Miss. Schafer, Did Mr. Van der Woodsen show any signs of obsession when you were around him?" DA Woods asked.

Gia nodded. "He would call Derek all the time. Derek showed me once that Eric had called him five times, each call only two minutes apart."

"Why did Mr. Van der Woodsen call so often?" DA Woods asked.

Gia shrugged. "Just to talk I guess. Derek didn't really say."

"What kind of person would you say that Mr. Van der Woodsen is, from what you've seen of him?" DA Woods asked.

Gia glanced at Eric. "Well, he seemed nice enough to me. My only complaint is that he would ask me all these questions about Derek instead of just asking him himself."

"What kind of questions?" DA Woods asked.

"Well, anything from what his favorite color was to what his favorite foods were. He'd ask what places Derek liked to go. What songs he liked. He asked if Derek ever wanted to have kids. It made me really uncomfortable. Once, he even asked what Derek's blood type was. It was just really weird. I just chalked it up to him being a nerd," Gia stated.

"Did Mr. Van der Woodsen display any dangerous behavior?" DA Woods asked.

Gia shook her head. "Not dangerous, per say. But, there was this one time when I was over at Derek's since my boyfriend and Jake live with him. Mitchel, my boyfriend, was in the shower, and I was studying. I got up to stretch, and take a quick break. I opened up a bottle of root beer, then headed over to the window to look out at the city lights. They're really pretty from my boyfriend's apartment because he lives on the tenth floor and you can get a real good panoramic view. I happened to glance down, and my heart jumped a little when I saw Eric staring up at me. I opened the window, and hollered down to ask him what he was doing. He asked me if Derek was home, and I told him that he was out for a family dinner with his parents. Eric thanked me, then took off. He had this distant look in his eyes. It scared me a bit. I don't know why. I just felt uneasy. I shut the window, then told Mitchel about it as soon as he came out of the shower. Mitchel thought it would be best for us not to mention it to anyone. He didn't want Derek to be even more creeped out than he already was."

"So, Derek was creeped out by then?" DA Woods asked.

Gia nodded. "He was getting there. It really scared him how Eric kept finding him and supposedly accidentally running into him. He thought about getting a restraining order on Eric, but he didn't have much to go on to get one. Until later, but I don't like to talk about it, so maybe you can ask Mitchel about it when you question him," Gia stated.

DA Woods nodded. "All right, then I will. I have no further questions, Your Honor."

"Would you Like to cross-examine, Mr. Scott?" Judge Walker asked EJ.

EJ nodded. "I have just one question. Miss Schafer, how did you see Mr. Van der Woodsen so well when you were ten stories up? Let alone, hear him so clearly, and vise-versa?"

Gia shrugged. "Ten stories high is not that high up."

"New York City is a loud city. There are car horns beeping and people shouting," EJ argued.

"My boyfriend's apartment is in a quiet part of town," Gia stated simply. "Besides, you'd be surprised at how well my eye sight and hearing is. Just ask my optometrist and my doctor."

EJ sighed. "I have no further questions, Your Honor."

"I'd like to call to the stand my final witness, Mr. Mitchel Thomas," DA Woods announced.

Judge Walker nodded.

"The court calls to the stand. Mr. Mitchel Thomas," the bailiff announced. He swore Mitchel in.

As soon as Mitchel was sworn in, DA Woods waisted no time. "Mr. Thomas, what did _you_ think about Mr. Van der Wood's affections toward Mr. Anderson?"

Mitchel was quiet for a moment before speaking. "He was clearly obsessed with him. Eric seemed like guy, but he got way too obsessed with Derek. I could never get why he wouldn't back off even after Derek made it clear that he had no feelings whatsoever for him."

"Was there any incidents that stood out to you that showed Mr. Van der Woodsen as being a little... Off?" DA Woods asked.

Mitchel sighed. "He came over one time to see Derek, but Derek was in the shower. I knew Derek wouldn't feel comfortable having Eric over, so I stupidly made the mistake of telling Eric that Derek was in the shower. I told him in hopes that he would know Derek was busy, and leave. Instead, he just said that he'd wait, and he pushed past me into the apartment. I'm not one for confrontation, and I really didn't want to be rude, so I let him in. I offered him a drink before I left. I was going to be late for class, so I had to leave, as much as I hated to leave Eric alone with Derek. Jake was at work."

"So, what happened next?" DA Woods asked.

Mitchel continued. "I gave him a root beer and politely excused myself, telling him I was going to be late for class. He thanked me, and told me to have a good day. So, I left for class. Halfway down the hall, I realized I had forgotten my bag. I headed back into the apartment. When I got in there, I saw Eric about to go into the bathroom. I asked him what he was doing, and he jumped. He must not have heard come in. He said he had to use the bathroom, but, judging from the blush on his face and the way he jumped, he really just wanted to try to sneak a peak at Derek. He then quickly muttered about having forgotten he had to be somewhere, and he left just like that. I stayed a minute to make sure he was gone for good, and when I was sure he wasn't coming back, I grabbed my bag and left for class. Derek never mentioned anything, so I took it Eric never did come back, thankfully."

DA Woods nodded. "Did Eric ever do anything to make you think he was dangerous?"

Mitchel shook his head. "No, Ma'am. He always seemed nice to me. Just a bit obsessed."

DA Woods didn't look too pleased at this. "Thank you. That is all the questions I have for you."

When EJ had permission from the judge, he went up to cross-examine. "Mr. Thomas, where were you the night of September first, two-thousand eleven, around, say, eleven p.m.?"

Eric swallowed hard. That was the day and time they had first beat him up.

Mitchel looked away. "I was studying at my girlfriend Gia's place while she practiced doing hair on her mannequin head for her beauty school assignment."

"Do you have anyone who can vouch for you? Anyone who might have seen you there?" EJ asked.

Mitchel shook his head. "No, it was just us. Gia lives with Jessica, but, Like Jake said earlier," he paused to nod at Jake, "Jessica was out of town with Jake. They went to the Bahamas for a weekend getaway with Derek. Gia and I stayed back because we both had class."

"I was under the impression that Miss Whitman went to the same beauty school Gia does. Wasn't she concerned about missing class?" EJ asked.

Mitchel snickered. "She doesn't care. She's not fond of the teacher, and she didn't mind missing one day of class. Gia is what some have called a goody-goody. She hated missing class, so she didn't want to go. As for myself, well, I had a game that weekend and I'm on scholarship, so I didn't want to risk cutting school or missing a game. It wasn't worth it to me."

EJ nodded. "All right. Thank you for your time, Mr. Thomas. That is all the questions I have for you right now."

Mitchel took his seat.

"All right, before we bring on the defendants' witnesses, I'd like to schedule a half hour break. We will resume at two o'clock sharp." Judge Walker banged his gavel.

The bailiff ordered them all to rise, and they did.

Once the judge was back in his chambers, court was dismissed for the time being.

"I cant believe what blatant lies those imbeciles were spewing!" Lily said in anger as she shot a nasty look towards Derek's friends' side of the room.

Derek's friends were all huddled together, talking amongst themselves, no doubt going over their lies again so that they could continue keeping their stories straight.

Rufus placed an arm around Lily's waist. "I knew they were going to lie on stand, but I thought they'd just deny things. I didn't actually expect them to make up a whole elaborate story!"

"I've seen thugs like that. They want something. I bet they'd be willing to change their story if I pay them off. Of course, they'll have to pin everything on Derek, but at least it will get you off the hook," William said to Eric.

Eric shook his head. "Thanks, Dad, but no thanks. I want to win this trial fairly. I don't want to win just because my dad paid someone off."

"But you were just defending yourself, Eric! This would be a way of making sure you don't pay for something that wasn't your fault!" Lily protested.

Eric shook his head. "And letting Derek's friends get off the hook in the process. I'm not going to do it. It wouldn't be right. Besides, they'd keep coming back for more money."

"Trust me. They'd no better than to cross me," William stated. "I'd make sure that was made perfectly clear."

"I'm playing this fairly. I'm sorry, but I have to, or I'll never feel good about myself again," Eric insisted.

Rufus placed a hand over his shoulder. "You're a good man, Eric."

EJ cleared his throat "You all are going to have to do your best up there on the stand. DA Woods is a crafty woman. I should know. I used to date her." He shuttered at the memory. "Never again. Just try to state your words in such way that it will be hard for her to turn into her own little twisted version."

Eric and his family all nodded.

"Well, we might as well take advantage of this break, and get something to eat. I have a feeling this trial will be going on for a bit once we resume," EJ then stated.

Everyone nodded their agreement, then headed off to get a quick lunch.

Eric wasn't that hungry, but he was going to eat anyway. After all, he didn't want to risk passing out on the stand. With the way he was feeling right then, it wouldn't surprise him if he did.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Unlovable **_

_**Chapter 13: Twisted Words**_

Even though he hadn't been hungry, lunch went by too quickly for Eric's taste. He had managed to get down some soup and a salad. He was so nervous, he couldn't have eaten any more than that.

They were all back in the courtroom now, and court had resumed. His mother was on the stand now, and Eric just hoped she wouldn't go off on the DA, like he had. He had certainly gotten his temper from his mother.

"Mrs. Humphrey, please tell the judge and jury what your son is like," EJ requested.

Lily smiled. "Well, he is the sweetest, most kind-hearted person I've ever known. I'm not just saying that because he's my son, either. Out of all my children—I have four counting Eric—he is the most selfless person I know. He loves anyone who will love him."

"And, could you see Eric hurting anyone ever?" EJ asked.

Lily shook her head. "Of course not! My son wouldn't hurt a fly. No matter how angry he gets with someone, he is always willing to put differences aside. He's not a violent man at all, nor is he one to hold grudges for very long."

"Did your son tell you anything about Derek?" EJ asked next.

Lily shook her head. "I only knew that he had a boyfriend. I was one of the last to know, actually. He wasn't one that liked to confide in his mother. I guess he's shy when it comes to that sort of thing. All I knew was that his name was Derek, and that Eric had met him when he got stuck in the rain with no money. Derek walked him home with an umbrella after Eric refused to take Derek's money for a cab. Oh, and he told me that their first date was lunch and a movie. He said they had hit it off, and the rest was history. That's all he ever told me. He promised to tell me more when it got more serious. Eric pretty much kept quite mum on his relationship. That is, until he told my husband and I how Derek and his friends had beat him within inches of his life. Then of course, how Derek had tried to kill him when he wouldn't shut his mouth about it."

"And, what can you tell me about the night your son supposedly killed Mr. Anderson?" EJ asked next.

"Well, my husband and I were in our bedroom. We were...enjoying each other's company when Eric appeared in our doorway. His hands were dripping blood, and he had the switchblade in his hands." Lily stopped speaking for a moment, as if she was wondering where EJ was going with this that _wouldn't_ make her son sound guilty.

"What did he say to you?" EJ asked.

"He said that he thought he killed him. Of course, my husband and I were confused. I had my husband go help him wash the blood off his hands while I got dressed. My husband did as told, and I later met back up with my husband and son in my son's room. Eric then explained to me that Derek was going to kill him with that switchblade. He had had my son backed against a wall, and that was the last my son remembered before waking up with the bloody knife in his hands next to Derek's dead body."

"So, what did you do next?" EJ asked.

"Eric wanted to call the cops, and of course we did. I'll admit, I wanted to hide the weapon, but Eric didn't want to. He didn't want to do anything illegal. He didn't want anyone else getting blamed for something he did," Lily explained.

"Thank you, Mrs. Humphrey. That is all the questions I have for you," EJ said to her with a polite nod.

"DA Woods, would you like to cross examine?" Judge Walker asked.

"Yes, Your Honor," DA Woods stated, already making her way over to Lily. "Mrs. Humphrey, did it ever occur to you that maybe your son didn't mention Derek to you because he had planned on killing him all along, and didn't want to get you, his beloved mother involved?"

Lily's expression immediately turned angry. "I know my son, and I know he would never kill anyone unless it was absolutely necessary to save his own life."

"But I thought you said he was so selfless? He would value his life over another life? Sounds to me like a typical murderer," DA Woods argued.

"How dare you?" Lily asked, her voice dripping with anger, yet still keeping a calm tone.

DA Woods smirked. "That is all the questions I have, Your Honor."

"Mrs. Humphrey, you may be seated," Judge Walker informed Lily.

Lily stood up. She shot DA Woods a look to kill, then took her seat.

DA Woods appeared un-phased.

Next, EJ called Rufus to the stand.

"Mr. Humphrey, did Eric mention Mr. Anderson to you at all when he first started dating him?" EJ asked.

Rufus nodded. "Yes, he did. He said he was really happy that he had found someone. He said that he felt it was a sign they should be together, what with their names being so similar—Eric and Derek. He said that they had had their first kiss after the movie they saw. Eric had dared to kiss him, and was happy when Derek kissed him back. Derek had to go then, but he and Eric exchanged numbers, and Derek promised to call him the next day. He kissed Eric's cheek then left."

"Did Eric say he was in love?" EJ asked.

Rufus shook his head. "No. In fact, later, when Eric told me about all of it, I told him that he deserved to find love. Eric told me that they had only just met, and that it was only the first date, but he could see it turning into love. He never said that it was love right then."

EJ smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Humphrey! That is all the questions I have for you."

"Mr. Humphrey, you said that Eric thought it was a sign they should be together because of their similar names?" DA Woods asked once she had been given permission to cross-examine.

Rufus nodded. "Yes, he did."

"It sounds to me, Mr. Humphrey, that he thought right from the start that he and Derek were meant to be together. Also, if I'm remembering correctly, he said he could see it turning into love?" DA Woods asked.

Rufus nodded. "Yes, I would think a man obsessed would consider it love already."

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I wouldn't start thinking about love after only one date!" DA Woods said with a smirk.

Rufus narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever heard of love at first sight?"

DA woods shrugged. "I suppose. But still, having only just met someone is kind of an odd time to be talking love."

"As I said before, he didn't think it was love yet. How is this relevant anyway?" Rufus asked, losing his cool a bit.

DA Woods smirked. "That is all the questions I have, Your Honor."

Next to the stand was William.

"Mr. Van der Woodsen, is your son a violent person at all?" EJ asked.

William smiled. "Not in the slightest. When he was a little boy, he saw a fly on the window. He captured it in a jar so that he could release it outside, but the fly must have hit the side of the glass wrong, or something, and died in the jar before Eric could release it. When Eric saw that the fly had died, he cried for hours. He even insisted on burying the fly, and making a little tomb stone out of a rock and a black Sharpie marker. Even growing up, he would find a bird with a broken wing and take him home and nurse it back to health. Any animal that needed help, he'd help. He'd do extra chores so that he could give the extra money to charity. Most kids would donate old clothes to Goodwill. He would buy _new_ clothes and give them to Goodwill. If someone wronged him, he'd be angry, sure. Don't we all get angry? However, he'd give the silent treatment for a few days, then he'd go to the person that had wronged him, and try to talk it out. If they refused to budge, then he'd just let them go, and never bother them again."

"Do you think your son is capable of murder?" James asked.

William shook his head. "The only way he would murder someone is if A, it was an accident, or B, he was defending himself. I'd swear my own life on it."

"Did you see your son when he was beaten up the first time?" EJ asked next.

William got a little teary-eyed. "Yes. I came back from my business trip as soon as I had heard the news. When I saw him so bruised and broken in that hospital bed, I felt as if my heart had been ripped out. I'm usually not a praying man, but when I saw him, broken like that, unconscious with the doctors not knowing for sure if he was going to make it, I prayed to God to either take me instead, or to help Eric get better. If God did that for me, I promised Him that I would try my best to be a better man."

"Who do you think could have done that to him?" EJ asked.

William glared at Derek's friends. "My son says it was Derek and his friends, and I have no doubt about it. He had no enemies, and he has no reason to lie."

EJ nodded. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Van der Woodsen. That is all the questions I have for you at this time."

Eric smiled at his father. He had been a little embarrassed by those stories, but, at the same time, it meant a lot to him that his father had remembered something like that.

DA Woods was now ready to cross-examine. "Mr. Van der Woodsen, it has been brought to my attention that you weren't in your son's life for a good chunk of it. Can you please tell me what years you were actively in his life?"

William shot an annoyed look at her, as if already knowing where this was going. "I was in his life since his birth until he was ten. Then, his mother and I divorced, and we lost contact for a while. I came back into his life about a year ago."

"And do you live around here?" DA Woods asked.

William sighed. "Technically, no. I live in Florida. But I come to visit my son a lot when I'm not on business trips."

"And how often are you on business trips?" DA woods asked.

"About twenty four a year, but I don't see how this relates to anything," William stated grouchily.

DA Woods looked him in the eyes. "I think it's pretty clear, Mr. Van der Woodsen. You were missing for the last almost eight years of your son's life, and even now, you're barely in his life. How can you truly know who your son is? You'd be surprised how much people can change since being ten years old."

A few of the audience laughed, and the jury all smirked.

William's face grew red. "He is my son. I know him whether I'm around him a lot or not!"

It sounded lame even to Eric, but Eric knew his father meant well.

DA Woods smirked; apparently thrilled with herself. "That is all the questions I have for Mr. Van der Woodsen, Judge Walker."

"You may be seated, Mr. Van der Woodsen," Judge Walker stated.

William took his seat, his fists clenched at his side the whole way.

Eric smirked. He guessed he wasn't the only one in the family who's blood got boiled by the DA. Though, it really wasn't funny. Things were not looking good for him, and he knew it. He was just trying not to think about it.

Next to the stand was Serena. "Miss Van der Woodsen, can you please tell me, does your brother have any enemies?" EJ asked.

Serena shook her head. "Not at all. Eric is always kind to anyone. It's pretty hard for a guy like my brother to make enemies. He was always the more calm and relaxed one. He was never one for revenge. Sure he'd get angry with people, but he'd always forgive them. If there was someone he just absolutely couldn't get along with, he'd just avoid them. Simple as that."

"Would you say your brother is a good person?" EJ asked next.

Serena nodded. "Yes! Without a doubt! He is the most caring, gentle person I know. I've known him his whole life, obviously. I went away to boarding school for a year, but we wrote and video chatted every day. He is the one constant in my life that I can't live without. I'd do anything for him. Heck, I'm even willing to admit that when he and I fight, I'm usually always the one that's at fault." She grinned at Eric. "Don't let that go to your head!"

Eric grinned in return, and mouthed the words, "I love you" to her.

"Did you see him the night he was attacked?" EJ asked.

"I didn't seem him at all that day, but I was at the hospital the next morning as soon as I heard about the attack," Serena answered.

"What state was your brother in when you saw him?" EJ asked next.

Serena sighed, her eyes looking a little distant. "He was unconscious. Bruises and scrapes were all over his face. Traces of blood were everywhere on his face, neck, and arms. His ribs, leg, and nose were all broken. He had internal bleeding in the brain and abdomen. The doctors thought there was a possibility he wasn't going to make it." Serena got a little teary eyed. "I thought he was going to die." Her voice cracked, and she sniffled. After a moment to catch her voice again, she continued. "It was clear someone very sick in the head must have done that to him, my innocent little brother."

EJ nodded. "That is all the questions I have for you, Serena. Thank you for your time."

"Serena," DA Woods began, once she was up to cross-examine, "what part of town was your brother beaten up in?"

Serena straightened up. "Harlem, why?"

"Wasn't your brother robbed as well?" DA Woods asked, ignoring Serena's inquiry.

Serena nodded. "Yes. His wallet and phone were both stolen."

"What part of town would you say Harlem is, as far as the safety and quality of it?" DA Woods asked next.

"Well, it's a horrible, unsafe neighborhood of course, but—"

DA Woods cut Serena off. "Would you say it would be uncommon for some random thugs on the street to see a man whom they know from the media is rich, and beat him up so that they can rob him? Heck, even if your brother wasn't a fairly known man, would it be that out of the norm for a rich looking guy to be beaten and robbed in the city—especially, that part of the city—by random thugs?"

Serena sighed. "Well, no, but my brother told me it was Derek and his friends, and he wouldn't lie to me."

DA Woods smirked. "You'd be surprised who will lie to you when they really need to."

"But why would he lie? It doesn't make sense!" Serena said, clearly getting angry now.

DA Woods' expression remained firm. "Why does anyone lie? To protect themselves of course. He could have used that opportunity, knowing that, if he blamed it on Mr. Anderson and his friends now, later, it would make his killing Mr. Anderson look like self defense all the more!"

"He wouldn't have killed Derek just because. He loved Derek!" Serena snapped.

"Did he ever talk to you about this Derek?" DA Woods asked.

"Well, no, but he told others!" Serena stated.

"And why wouldn't he tell you, if you two were so close, hm? And why didn't you see him that day? If you video chatted every day while you were in boarding school, and, if you two were really that close, why wouldn't you have seen each other that day? Why wouldn't Eric have told you about his boyfriend?"

"Things come up! People get busy! It doesn't mean we weren't close!" Serena stated.

"Yes, but maybe you weren't as close that you thought. If your brother could hide a boyfriend from you, don't you think he could hide that he killed a man?" DA Woods asked.

"You're insane!" Serena snapped.

"Am I?" DA Woods sneered. "Because _I'm_ not the one who murdered a man in cold blood—your brother is!"

Serena stood up, her fists clenched.

"Looks like her brother isn't the only one with a temper," DA Woods said with a smirk. "I guess it runs in the family." She turned to the jury. "For all we know, she helped him!"

EJ stood up before Serena could go ballistic. "Objection, Your Honor! The DA is badgering the witness!"

DA Woods whipped around to face the judge. "I'm not badgering, Your Honor. I'm just making my point. I have no further questions anyway."

Judge Walker cast a glance at the DA. "I'd advice you to watch yourself, DA Woods." He turned to Serena. "You may be seated, Miss Van der Woodsen."

Serena nodded politely at the judge, then headed back to her seat, clearly still angry, for her eyes had an outraged look in them, her fists were still clenched at her sides, and her steps were firm and forceful—just a notch below stomping.

Next to the stand was Jenny.

"So, Miss Humphrey, Eric had told you previously, before any of the attacks happened, that Derek was just as much into him as he was into Derek?" EJ asked.

Jenny nodded. "Eric doesn't waste his time on guys when their affection isn't returned. He knows when it's time to end it, no matter how sad it might make him. It didn't work out with his past two boyfriends, and that almost killed him; he was so depressed. When Eric gets depressed, trust me—he doesn't do anything but mope around in his room. If he murdered someone for not returning his affections, those two would have been murdered for breaking his heart. But, alas, they are alive, so what does that tell you?"

EJ smirked. "It says a lot."

"Miss Humphrey, can you please describe to me what happened, as far as your end, the night Mr. Anderson was killed?" EJ asked next.

Jenny nodded. "Eric and I had spent the day together. I went with him to get a new phone at the apple store, and then we had lunch together. After lunch, we went to Central Park because I knew he had something on his mind, and I wanted to get it out of him, whatever it was. It was there that we sat down on a bench, and I got him to tell me that Derek had threatened me. He had called Eric anonymously, disguising himself as a girl, when my father picked up. Of course, when Eric answered, and my father had hung up his end of the line, Derek cut the crap, and revealed himself to Eric. He told him that he would have his people rape me. He said that he has plenty of contacts on the street that would be able to do the job for him if he were put in jail. That is why Eric lied to the cops the first time around and told them that it wasn't Derek and his friends who had attacked him. I convinced Eric that he had to go to the cops. I assured him that I would be protected. He couldn't keep hiding thing from the cops. It would only let Derek and his friends hurt others."

"So, he agreed to tell," EJ stated.

Jenny nodded. "That's right. We were about to head back to Eric's to tell his parents, but I got a text from my brother, Dan, saying he needed my help immediately with an embarrassing matter. He wanted me to come alone so that he wouldn't be even more embarrassed. I told Eric about it, and we agreed that he would take a cab home, and I would take one and go see what my brother needed. Then, I would meet Eric back at his place, and we'd tell our parents then."

"So, you went to see your brother. Then what happened?" EJ asked.

"When I got to his place, I had to use my spare key because he wasn't there. I texted him to ask where he was, and he said he had a quick errand to run, but he'd be there. He asked me to please wait. So, even though I didn't want to wait, I agreed to. I texted him to hurry up. I then texted Eric to tell him I was going to be a little late. He didn't text me back, but I figured he was just sleeping since he was tired a lot lately, and took quite a few naps in the past couple of days. I turned on the television, and began to channel surf. My brother later woke me up. I asked him what he needed me for. He was confused, so I reminded him about the text. He said he had been out with his friend Nate all day, and had lost his phone, so he _couldn't_ have texted me. I looked at the clock and saw it was eight o'clock! I had slept for _hours_ before my brother had come home! I was panicked! Eric still hadn't texted me back. I told my Dan I had to go because Eric's life could be in trouble. He of course wanted to know what I meant by that. I told him I'd explain it on the cab ride to Eric's. He came along with me. We got stuck in traffic, our cab broke down, and we had to switch to another cab, and then we had to go through even _more_ traffic. Eric wasn't returning any of my calls or texts, and no one was answering the home phone. It was a nightmare! By the time, we got to Eric's, the police were already there," Jenny explained.

EJ smiled. "Thank you for your time, Miss Humphrey. That is all the questions I have for you at this time."

As usual, DA Woods insisted on cross examining. Miss Humphrey, didn't you find it a little odd that your brother wanted you to come alone because of an 'embarrassing matter' as your brother had supposedly put it?"

Jenny glared at her. "There is no 'supposedly' about it. It's what he wrote. And, no. He is deathly afraid of spiders. Last time, needed me to kill a spider for him. I thought this time it was a similar situation."

"So you didn't find it odd that he'd call you all the way over there, just to kill a spider, or that he wouldn't be there when you got there even though it was so urgent for you to be there." DA Woods stated it; not asked it.

Jenny sighed. "Obviously, a little, but not enough to think much about. My brother is just like that sometimes."

DA Woods raised an eyebrow. "It just seems a little odd that you just happened to run into all those problems, and then they went away just like that as soon as the job was done," DA Woods stated.

Jenny crossed her arms over her chest. "And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Miss Humphrey, would you do anything for your stepbrother?" DA Woods asked; ignoring Jenny's question.

Jenny looked at her suspiciously. "Oh course. As far as I'm concerned, he's blood. Besides, we're best friends."

"Well, for a girl who is willing to do anything for her stepbrother and best friend, would it be _that_ far off to suggest that you played part in this, and worked with Eric so that you two could take care of Derek once and for all?" DA Woods asked.

Jenny scowled. "What? That's ridiculous! Trust me, if I were to have helped, I would have been there with him. I wouldn't have left him alone with that piece of trash!"

DA Woods held up her hands. "Woah! Tough talk for someone who's completely innocent, and thinks Mr. Van der Woodsen is innocent."

"Stop trying to twist my words!" Jenny said, her face turning red with anger. "I never said either of us did it. I said _if_. There's a big difference."

"I'd say it's a fine line, Miss Humphrey. A fine line." DA Woods looked at the judge, her head held high in smugness. "I have no further questions, Your Honor."

"You may be seated, Miss Humphrey," Judge Walker stated.

Jenny left the stand, looking shaken and angry. She mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to Eric along the way back to her seat.

"It's all right," Eric mouthed back.

The final witness that EJ had (for the time being) was Dan.

"Mr. Humphrey, how did you lose your phone the day that Mr. Anderson was attacked?" EJ asked.

"I was out to lunch at Blossom with my friend Nate. He got a supposed urgent call at the bar, so he went up to answer it. I was looking at the dessert menu while he was gone, and suddenly felt something wet against the back of my neck. I looked behind me, and saw that this little boy, who looked to be no older than five, with a now empty glass. He was sniffling, and told me he was sorry. He had tripped, and spilled his pink lemonade all over me. He was worried about getting it on my shirt. I told him it was okay; that accidents happen, and that I didn't think pink lemonade stained. I told him to go find his parents and have them get him some more lemonade. He was actually kind of a cute kid. He told me he promised not to spill it on me this time, then went off to find his parents. Nate came back then, and said no one was on the line when he picked up. I asked him to watch my cell phone for me while I went to the bathroom and dried my shirt off under the hand dryer. Nate asked where it was, and that was when we noticed it was missing. Now that I look back on it, it seems like a scheme to me. Nate getting a mysterious call, and a kid just just happening to spill his lemonade on me so that I get distracted. I wish I had thought about it then. I could have questioned the kid or his parents. Whomever took my phone, which I believe now was Derek or a friend of his, probably stole it so that they could text Jenny and make her think it was from me."

EJ nodded. "Sounds like a reasonable enough theory to me. Thank you, Mr. Humphrey. That is all the questions I have for you."

Dan nodded. "Thank _you_!"

"DA Woods, would you like to cross-examine?" Judge Walker asked.

"I just have one question. "Mr. Humphrey, why didn't you think much of your cell phone being stolen at the time?" DA Woods asked.

Dan shrugged. "We live in New York City. There are lots of crazy people in this town who could have stolen it." He blushed, as if realizing what he had just said. It was too late to take it back.

DA Woods smirked. "Thank you, Mr. Humphrey. That is all."

"Your honor, that is all the witnesses, I have at this moment," EJ stated.

Judge Walker nodded. "Well then, with all the days' witnesses in, I'm going to call this court adjourned. We will resume at ten sharp tomorrow morning." Judge Walker banged his gavel.

The bailiff had everyone rise. Once the judge had retired into his chambers, everyone was free to go.

"I don't like this one bit. From the sounds of it, Eric doesn't stand a chance," Chuck said dryly to Blair.

Blair sighed. "Don't be so pessimistic, Bass," she said, calling him by his last name.

"It's being _realistic_," Chuck corrected her. "I have to do something, and I know exactly what."

"What?" Blair asked.

"Did you notice how Derek's parents didn't testify? How they seemingly aren't even here?" Chuck asked.

"Well, yes, I did find it odd. But maybe they're dead or something," Blair stated.

Chuck shook his head. "No. Gia mentioned that Derek had gone to dinner with his parents. If they cared so much about him, why aren't they here? I got ahold of my contacts, and they have an address. Something tells me there's a story there. I'm going to go talk to them, and hopefully get them to testify against Derek. It's a long shot, but I feel that, if they were really on Derek's side, they'd be here."

"Or, maybe they are just too sad to show up. It's too painful," Blair suggested.

Chuck shook his head. "No. If they truly believed Eric did it, they'd want to be here to help justice get served. I'm going to go talk to them."

"Do you want me to come with?" Blair asked; eager to help.

Chuck shook his head. "No. This is something I have to do alone." With that, he got up, and left the courtroom, without another word to anybody.

Blair watched him leave, shook her head, and sighed. "Good luck, Bass. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."


	14. Chapter 14

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 14: No Help At All!**_

Chuck double checked the address that he had written down in his iphone. This was the place. It looked kind of run down. It was a medium-sized house. I wasn't in the worst condition he'd ever seen, but it certainly wasn't the best either.

He took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. He wasn't nervous or shy. That was so not who he was. Still, he had his doubts that they would tell him anything. Also, he had a feeling he could be wrong. What if Blair had been right, and they only hadn't showed up at the courthouse because they were too saddened? What if they really did want Eric to pay?"

Chuck sighed, then headed up the walkway. He supposed there was only one way to find out.

He reached the door, and rang the doorbell. He heard a dog barking at the ring, and a moment later, he heard footsteps walking toward the door.

Finally, the door opened, and he was face to face with an elderly looking woman. She looked to be in her early to mid sixties. At her side was a large, grey, greyhound.

"Hello, I'm here to see Mr. and Mrs. Anderson? Parents of Derek Anderson?" he asked, a little unsure. He didn't know if it was Derek's grandmother or mother.

The woman blinked at him a few times, a frown on her face, before answering. "My son is dead."

Chuck nodded. "I know that, Ma'am. I'm sorry for your loss. My name is Chuck Bass." He extended his hand, but when Mrs. Anderson just stared at it, he retracted it, and continued. "I'm here because I wanted to talk to you about your son, if I might. You see, my stepbrother Eric is the one being accused of murdering him, but my brother doesn't remember much of that night. One thing he does remember, is that your son was going to kill him that night. He and is friends had beaten up my brother a while before, and when he found out my brother wasn't going to keep quiet about it any longer, Derek tried to kill him. My stepbrother was just trying to defend himself. Unfortunately, it's a little hard for his lawyer to prove it." He knew he was rambling, and that he really shouldn't be saying all that quite yet if he wanted to be let in, but he hadn't known what else to say for the reason he was there. He guessed he probably should have thought that through a little more before going there.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Mrs. Anderson asked, her tone unreadable.

"Well, I was hoping I could get some insight on how our son really was. After all, no one knows someone more than their parents, right?" Chuck asked.

Mrs. Anderson stared at him without answering.

Chuck tried to come up with anything he could say to change her mind, for he was sure she was just about to tell him to hit the road. However, she stepped back. "Come in."

Chuck nodded at her. "Thank you, Mrs. Anderson."

"Take your shoes off, then go sit on the couch while I go get my husband," Mrs. Anderson ordered.

Again, Chuck nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." He slipped off his shoes as asked, then went over to the living room, and took a seat on the couch.

As soon as Chuck sat down, the greyhound began sniffing his feet, legs, and lap.

Chuck pet the dog's head, while looking around the room. There wen't any pictures of Derek. There was a picture of Mrs. Anderson and her husband on the mantle, and beside it was a picture of their dog, and a picture of a white fluff ball of a cat—professionally taken. He found it extremely odd that they had no pictures of Derek whatsoever—at least not in that room.

Mrs. Anderson came back then, wheeling her husband into the room in his wheelchair. Her husband looked to be around the same age as she was.

Chuck stood up, and extended his hand. "Hello, Mr. Anderson. My name is Chuck Bass. I'm here to talk to you about your late son, Derek."

Mr. Bass shook his hand. "He was my _only_ son."

"So sorry," Chuck said before taking his seat back on the couch.

Mrs. Anderson rolled Mr. Anderson's wheelchair to the empty spot across from the couch. "Gracie, down!" she said when she saw the greyhound was still sniffing Chuck up and down.

Gracie ran over to Mr. Anderson's side, and plopped down beside him.

"She's a daddy's girl for sure," Mr. Anderson said with a smile, and he reached his hand down to pat the dog's head.

Mrs. Anderson sat down in the plush, faux leather chair beside her husband's wheelchair.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about?" Mr. Anderson asked.

"Well, my stepbrother Eric is being tried for the murder of your son, as I'm sure you both are aware of. I'm sorry to say, your son was not a very nice person—at least when it came to my stepbrother. He and his friends brutally attacked Eric so badly that it landed him in the hospital, and he almost didn't survive. Derek wanted him to keep quiet about it, but when my stepbrother refused to keep quiet anymore, Derek tried to kill him to shut him up for good. My brother killed him completely out of self-defense," Chuck stated.

"Not to sound unsympathetic, but what do you want _us_ to do about it?" Mr. Anderson asked.

Chuck was surprised that he hadn't insisted that his son wasn't this horrible person Chuck was claiming him to be. True, Chuck had his suspicions that they weren't close with Derek, but he had thought it would first take some prying to get that out of him.

"Well, first off, before I answer that question, can you answer one of mine? Were you two close with your son?" Chuck asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson looked at each other.

"Not exactly," Mrs. Anderson said to Chuck after a brief moment of hesitation.

"Pardon my intrusiveness, but do you mind me asking why not?" Chuck hoped they wouldn't snap at him to mind his own business.

Mrs. Anderson sighed. "Well, my son wasn't exactly the model citizen. He was a master of deceit. He had a way of manipulating people to get what he wanted. He did drugs, he drank like a feign... He'd always get his friends to steal for him. Heck, he'd steal a lot too, but he would never get caught. He was so good at never getting caught."

Mr. Anderson nodded. "He had a temper on him as well. He could be the sweetest boy one day, and a monster the next. He's punched holes through walls, and he's stolen money from his mother and I. He looked at his wife. "He even hit her once." "Then there were times where he'd take me out to watch the Yankees play. He'd treat me to the game and lunch, and even buy me a souvenir tee shirt."

"He hit you?" Chuck asked in surprise. Though he didn't know why he was surprised. He supposed it was because the lady was Derek's own mother.

Mrs. Anderson nodded, her eyes suddenly turning sad. "I wouldn't give him the money he asked for because I knew he was going to spend it on pot and what not. He slapped me hard across the face, punched me in the stomach, then pushed me into the counter. He never did get any money. I had it hidden in a safe in a neighbor's basement. They were holding it for me there because I just couldn't trust my son anymore."

"He's not the reason your in the chair, is he?" Chuck asked, nodding at Mr. Anderson's wheelchair.

Mr. Anderson shook his head. "No. I just use this sometimes because I have bad rheumatoid arthritis, and it's easier, and much less painful to use a wheelchair sometimes."

Chuck nodded in understanding. Before he could say anything, a white, fluffy cat, jumped onto the couch, walked over the back of it, then jumped down to the cushion beside Chuck, finally, making her way to his lap, and plopping herself there.

"That's Tiffany. She's our other daughter," Mrs. Anderson said with a smile. "She loves company."

"A real Momma's girl she is," Mr. Anderson commented.

Chuck smiled politely, and gently scratched the cat's ears. He wasn't exactly a cat person, but the cat was now purring, and it seemed to make the Anderson's happy, so he let her be...for now.

Mrs. Anderson stood up "I need a drink before we continue. Would you two like anything?" she asked her husband and Chuck.

"I'll have an iced tea please," Mr. Anderson requested.

"I''ll have an iced tea as well, please," Chuck requested.

"Sweetened or non?" Mrs. Anderson asked.

"Sweetened!" Chuck and Mr. Anderson said in unison.

They grinned at each other.

Mrs. Anderson grinned as well. "I'll be right back."

"I have to take a leak first if I'm going to drink anything," Mr. Anderson said. He then wheeled his chair out of the room.

Chuck wondered if they had a handicapped bathroom, or if Mr. Anderson actually struggled, and used a regular one. One thing was for sure, Chuck wasn't about to ask if he needed any help.

Tiffany purred louder, and he scratched her lower back. He smiled down at her. Maybe he had judged cats too quickly.

~GG~

"So, were you still in contact with him before he died?" Chuck asked once Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had returned, and they all had their drinks.

"He'd take us for dinner occasionally, but only on his good days. On his bad days, well, sometimes we'd go weeks without hearing from him. He finally stopped asking us for money and got a job. We thought that maybe he was finally turning his life around, but then this whole situation with your stepbrother happened," Mrs. Anderson stated.

"So, he was starting to be nicer more often?" Chuck asked.

Mr. Anderson shook his head. "I wouldn't say nicer. It was just that he had stopped coming around to threaten us is all. Now that his inheritance money was gone, he realized there was nothing more he was going to get from us, so we weren't as important to him anymore."

Chuck raised an eyebrow. "His inheritance?" He took a sip of his iced tea.

"Oh, that's right. We didn't tell you about that." Mr. Anderson nodded at his wife. "You tell him."

Mrs. Anderson sighed. "Well, he came to us one evening, begging us for his inheritance. It was a hundred thousand dollars. He told us that he got accepted to NYU, and that he needed it for college, and living on his own. He also said that he had a tumor that he needed to get removed. I was cancerous, but the doctors said that if they got it out now, they could get it all."

"I'm guessing he didn't really have cancer," Chuck stated.

"You guessed right!" Mr. Anderson said with a nod. "He insisted that going to the hospital and getting it removed was something he had to do on his own. We let him, but later, we went to the hospital anyway to drive him home. Even though he had told us he didn't want us there, we felt we had to be there. After all, we were his parents."

"Of course!" Chuck agreed, taking another sip of his iced tea.

"Well, when we got there, the nurse said there was no patient there under that name. We talked to the surgeons on staff, and none of them knew anything about Derek, or having to remove a tumor from him," Mr. Anderson explained.

"We even showed the surgeons a picture in case he was using a fake name. But they never saw him before," Mrs. Anderson chimed in.

Mr. Anderson continued the story. "Of course, this got us curious about NYU, so we called the registration office, and no guy under the name of Derek Anderson was enrolled there. When we questioned Derek about it, he got real angry. He called us every name in the book, and told us what horrible parents we were for not trusting him. I demanded he tell us what he used the money for. He told us it was none of our damn business. I followed him one time, and found him buying drugs in some dark alley in a Godforsaken part of town. No doubt he swindled that money on drugs and other useless junk."

"When was the last time you saw him before he died?" Chuck asked.

"Well, it was a week before. It was a nice dinner, actually. One of his better nights. He treated us all to dinner. He stayed for dinner, but left before dessert. He said he had some 'urgent business' to take care of. We didn't want to ruin the night by asking him what it was. He'd surly lie to us anyway," Mr. Anderson answered.

"But he left money to cover the bill, including our dessert, and the tip," Mrs. Anderson stated.

"We had to pay for our own taxi home though of course," Mr. Anderson said with a snort.

"Do you think Derek is guilty of what my stepbrother is accusing him of?" Chuck dared to ask. This was it. Eric's whole case could depend on their answer.

The Andersons looked at each other, then at Chuck.

"Judging by the quality of the company he hung out with, and the kind of person he was, I wouldn't have put it past him," Mr. Anderson answered.

Mrs. Anderson nodded. "If that is what your brother said happened, then I'm sure it is."

Chuck's heart pounded with excitement. "I know this is a big favor to ask of you two, but would you be willing to testify against Derek? I know he was your son, but if you really think he was capable of doing this, it would help my stepbrother so much if you were to testify. His trial isn't going well so far, and he could really use your testaments."

"Oh, I don't know. We can't say we know for sure what happened," Mrs. Anderson hesitated.

"We're simply going by our opinions on the matter," Mr. Anderson said in agreement.

"But, being Derek's parents and testifying against him will say a _lot_. Trust me," Chuck insisted. "Just your opinions or not."

"I don't know. It seems like so much hassle to go all the way down there, and to be questioned by lawyers and reporters... That's part of why we haven't been to the trial," Mrs. Anderson replied.

Mr. Anderson nodded. "We're not people who like to be in the public eye."

"Can you please just make an exception this once? My brother is not even eighteen yet, and yet he is being charged for murder when he was simply trying to defend himself! He's being tried as an adult, and this could really ruin his life! Do you really think it would be fair for my brother's life to be ruined because of something your son caused?" Chuck asked.

The Andersons looked at each other.

"I guess when you put it _that_ way..." Mr. Anderson trailed off.

"Not saving a young boy's life because of not wanting to be in the public eye seems kind of selfish," Mrs. Anderson stated.

Chuck nodded. "Trust me, you'd be doing the right thing by testifying. This is your chance to make up for what your son did." Chuck knew they had to be harboring some guilt for producing such a wicked son.

After what seemed like a very long moment of silence, Mrs. Anderson spoke up. "All right. I'll testify."

Mr. Anderson nodded. "Me too! When do you need us?"

Chuck grinned. "Tomorrow would be great. The trial starts at ten in the morning,"

Mr. Anderson sighed. "We'll be there."

Mrs. Anderson nodded her agreement.

Chuck stood up, gently setting the now sleeping Tiffany down onto the couch cushion beside the one he had been sitting on. She stirred a little bit, then went back to sleep. He extended his hand, and shook the Andersons' hands. Mrs. Anderson shook this time.

"Thank you," Chuck thanked, "I assure you, you won't regret this."

"I hope not," Mrs. Anderson said with a weak smile.

"I'll see myself out," Chuck said with a polite nod.

As soon as he was back out into the sunlight, he put on his shades, then got into his limo.

As the driver drove off, Chuck couldn't help but smile to himself. It felt good to do something for the ones he loved.

~GG~

"Chuck, I can't thank you enough for getting Derek's parents to testify against Derek. I thought I was going to lose, but now, with Derek's parents testifying..." Eric cut himself off. "Thank you!" He hugged his brother.

Chuck smiled, and hugged his stepbrother. "Your my brother. No thank yous are necessary."

"It is a stroke of genius. Thank you so much for getting them," EJ said.

Chuck shrugged. "He is my brother, I was glad to help."

"Are they here yet? I'm worried they won't show!" Lily said. Her tone was filled with worry. "What if they changed their minds?"

"They didn't change their minds. Here they come." Chuck nodded towards the doors.

Eric, Lily, and EJ looked to where Chuck was looking, and saw two elderly people entering the courtroom—one being in a wheelchair.

"That's them," Chuck said.

"Why are they sitting on the opposite side?" Eric asked as they watched them sit.

"They probably didn't realize you have to sit on the side you are representing. They don't go to the court very often—if at all," Chuck explained. He was about to go over to them and inform them of their mistake, but the bailiff came in then, and they all had to head to their seats.

To Eric, it felt like an eternity before court was back in session, and it was EJ's turn to call up more witnesses. EJ was saving him for last, to leave a more lasting impact on the jury's mind. The only other witness EJ had besides Derek's parents and Eric was Detective Abrams, who had the texts from Jenny's phone that proved Jenny wasn't lying about the texts.

First up, however, were Derek's parents—Derek's mother in particular.

"Mrs. Anderson, can you please tell me, what kind of person your son was?" EJ asked.

Mrs. Anderson nodded. "My son Derek was a wonderful, kind, human being, who would never hurt a soul! He was so good to his father and I. Always making sure we had the best before he'd even _think_ of himself. And, before you ask, no, I do not think my son would ever murder anyone. My son was a good man, and I am here today to try my best to give my son one last gift." She turned her attention to Eric, and pointed at him. "And that means helping to put his murderer away for a very long time!"

EJ was so surprised, his mouth dropped open. He looked at Eric, who was too busy looking at Chuck.

Chuck looked startled, and completely confused. He shook his head, and held his hands up as if to say he had no idea what was going on.

Eric swallowed a lump in his throat. If he had had any doubt in his mind before, there was no doubt in it now. He was screwed.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Unlovable **_

_**Chapter 15: More Faltered Plans**_

"Did you and your son have a good relationship?" EJ asked Mrs. Anderson. Eric could tell by the sound of his voice, he was not exactly thrilled to be continuing his questioning, but he was still going through with it just in case Mrs. Anderson changed her tune.

"As I already said, he would always make sure my husband and I were provided for before he was. He was such a good man, and both my husband and I were very close with him. My husband and I missed him terribly when he moved out, but he always made sure to come over once a night for family game night. He would also treat us to dinner before we'd come back home to play the games. He was always doing chores around the house when he was little without asking for anything in return. He once told my husband and I that it was the least he could do since we fed him and put a roof over his head. Even now, as a grown man, he would come over and fix up anything that needed fixing, and clean anything that needed cleaning. He'd take out the trash, and just all around help us out. He said now it was his turn to take care of us since we took care of him all those years," Mrs. Anderson explained.

"Was your son a violent person at all?" EJ asked.

Mrs. Anderson chuckled. "Not at all! In fact, he was the least violent person I've ever met. He always hated when my husband and I would fight. He'd always play councilor and have us talk it out." She smiled to herself. "I'm sure my husband and I could possibly not be together now if it weren't for him. Derek taught us how to work through things. I always thought he should have been a marriage counselor, but he wanted to be a manager. He wanted to have his own business one day. He was currently working at a coffee shop, but he wanted to work his way up to manager to get money for college so he could get a major in business. Eventually, he planned on quitting his job, and starting his own business. He was a very hardworking man, and never even raised his voice at his father or I all the short years of his life."

"Thank you. That is all the questions I have for you," EJ said, sounding defeated.

The judge looked at DA Woods. "DA Woods, would you like to cross examine?"

DA Woods smirked. "No thank you, Your Honor. I think Mr. Scott did a good job of proving my case all on his own."

Eric wanted to go over there and strangle her, but he knew that most certainly would not be good for his case. So, instead, he squeezed the arms of his chair tightly, and bit his tongue.

"I'm almost afraid to call up Mr. Anderson, but I don't want to look like I'm trying to hide something," EJ muttered to Eric once Mrs. Anderson had taken her seat.

Eric sighed. "Go ahead and call him. You never know. His opinion might differ from his wife's. Apparently, Chuck thought they had something to say to help us."

EJ sighed. "I doubt it, but I'll call him up anyway." He turned to the judge. "I'd like to call to the stand, Mr. Gregory Anderson."

Judge Walker nodded.

After getting sworn in, Mr. Anderson was ready to testify. With a little help from the bailiff, he got out of his chair, and sat in the witness chair.

"Mr. Anderson, did you and your son get along well?" EJ asked.

Mr. Anderson nodded. "As good as a father and son could possibly get along! I loved going to games with him, and building things with him. The bonding time I had with my son are some of my most cherished memories in life. He is my only son, so we were incredibly close. He was such a kind and generous man. He was always buying me gifts. I told him that, since I was his father, I should be the one buying him gifts—not the other way around. You know what he told me when I told him that? He told me that it gave him more pleasure to see me happy with a gift he got me than it did for him to get a gift from me. He was the same way with his mother. He was always showering her with gifts. My wife and I couldn't have asked for a better son."

"And what kind of company did your son keep? I mean, as far as friends go?" EJ asked.

_Good question, EJ!_ Eric wanted to shout out. Then, reality hit him that, if Mr. Anderson was willing to lie about Derek, he'd surely be willing to lie about Derek's friends.

"They were a great group of kids. Derek would sometimes send his friends over to help him fix things for us. Jake would always fix my car for free. Mitchel would fix things around the house that Derek couldn't quite figure out how to fix. Gia would always help my wife with the cooking if my wife needed it, or if my wife was feeling under the weather. Jessica loves animals, and was always willing to petsit and house sit for us when my wife and I were away. She'd walk the dog even when we were home, so that we didn't have to. She always refused to take money from us. She said she was just happy to help. All of Derek's friends are such a great group of kids. In fact, I hope my wife and I can still stay close with them. That way, it will feel like we still have a little piece of Derek with us."

Eric rolled his eyes, not caring if anyone saw. He was surprised the courtroom didn't stink, what with all the crap the Andersons were both dishing out.

"That is all the questions I have for you, Mr. Anderson. Thank you for your time," EJ said with a polite nod, though Eric bet the last thing he felt like being was polite.

"DA Woods, do you wish to cross examine?" Judge Walker asked the DA.

DA Woods smirked. "No, EJ's sill doing a good job for me. Thank you."

This time, it was EJ who clenched the sides of his chair.

Eric knew the feeling.

"Your Honor, I'd like to request a recess so I have time to talk things over with my client, and regroup," EJ requested.

Judge Walker sighed. "I suppose, since it is lunchtime anyway. Very well then. The court will resume in an hour from now. That should give you plenty of time to 'regroup' as you call it." Judge Walker banged his gavel on his desk.

"All rise," the bailiff called out.

Everyone did as told, and, once the judge was back in his chambers, they were all free to go for the time being.

~GG~

"I'm sorry, Eric. I swear to you, when I went to their house, they had a whole lot to say about Derek—a whole lot of bad stuff. Everything they said on trial was the total opposite of what they told me," Chuck said, having rushed over to Eric as soon as they were dismissed.

"They must have played you. I wonder if Jake and his friends had this whole thing set up? Heck, even his parents could have set you up," Eric stated.

"But how would they have known I was going to see them?" Chuck asked. "How could they have possibly predicted that? They don't even know me. At least, they didn't until I stopped by for a visit."

"I've never been so embarrassed in my life! I've been a lawyer for ten years, and I have never been made to look like such a bloody idiot," EJ stated.

"Look, I'm sorry! I honestly thought they were going to help," Chuck said, a hand over EJ's shoulder.

EJ sighed. "I know, but it doesn't make it any less embarrassing. We better hope that Detective Abrams' and Eric's testaments work, because, other than my closing statement, they are all we've got now."

"I feel horrible. I wanted to help you so badly, and all I did was make it worse," Chuck said to Eric.

Eric smiled, and gently rubbed his brother's shoulder. "It's all right, Chuck. You tried to help me. That really means a lot to me."

Chuck smiled. "You're my brother. Of course I tried to help."

Eric hugged him. "You're a good brother."

Chuck sighed as they broke the hug. "I just wish I felt like one."

Lily, Rufus, William, Jenny, Serena, and Dan all headed over to speak to Eric then, and find out what had happened.

Chuck chose that moment to go get some fresh air. He looked for Derek's parents, but they had mysteriously disappeared. Something wasn't right. Chuck was sure that Jake had had something to do with it, but he knew it would do no good to confront him. Besides, Chuck wasn't sure if he could restrain himself from punching the heck out of Jake. Of course, it wouldn't look good for Eric's stepbrother to be showing a temper. The DA would no doubt somehow make it Eric's fault. So, instead, Chuck went outside to clear his head. He would take a walk, and maybe find a place for lunch. And, when he got back, he hoped to be calm again. He doubted he would be, but, hey. It was worth a shot.

~GG~

"Oh, Chuck, you tried and failed. Now it's time for me to show you how to get the job done," Blair said with a sigh, though, Chuck was nowhere to be found to hear her. Still, it felt good saying it out loud. She had a plan. No guy could ever resist her charms. She was just glad she had chosen to wear the suit with the shorter skirt today, as opposed to the longer skirted suit.

"Good, he's alone," Blair said quietly, smiling to herself as she headed over to Jake, who was outside, resting against the wall, and smoking a cigarette.

She opened her purse, and pressed record on the tiny recorder she had in there. She always carried a recorder. After all, in New York, you never know when you might need one. She kept her purse un-zippered—not enough to see what was inside, but enough for the recorder to pick up outside noises. Then, she walked right up to Jake, and batted her eyelashes as she always did when trying to seduce a man. "Well, hey there, handsome! What'cha doing?"

Jake scrunched his eyebrows at her. "I'm painting a wagon," he said sarcastically.

Blair laughed. "You're funny!"

"What do you want?" he asked before taking another puff of his cigarette.

"Well, I saw you in the courtroom, and noticed how incredibly hot you are." She ran a finger slowly up his chest, trying her best not go gag from the smell of his disgusting cigarette. "I just _had_ to stop by and say hello."

He took on last puff from his cigarette, then dropped it to the ground, and snuffed it out with his boot. He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Oh yeah?"

She grinned. He was already falling for it. This was almost too easy. "So, where's your girlfriend? And, is it serious?" Her body was pressed against his now, and she was practically purring in his ear.

"She's in the bathroom with Gia. She is reapplying her makeup, so it should take a while. You know how girls are when it comes to applying makeup." Jake snickered at his own words.

Blair smiled. "It's only so we can look good for our hot, sexy men. You didn't answer my other question. Are you and your little girlfriend serious?" She batted her eyelashes again for good measure.

Jake grinned. "We're just having fun. Nothin' too serious."

"Good! I'd kind of like to get to know you a little better. I like how you are standing up for your friend Derek," Blair tried not to gag on her own words.

"Yeah, well, he's dead, and can't stand up for himself. Someone's gotta do it!" Jake said with a shrug.

"That poor, obsessed, Eric. He should be put away in a mental institute, don't you think?" Blair asked.

Jake shook his head, his eyes turning angry. "No. I think he needs to suffer. The only way he's going to suffer, is to be put in prison."

Blair put on her best smile, even though it was the most fake smile she had ever smiled in her life. "He'd probably love prison, what with all the gay sex he'd be getting, right?"

Jake made a disgusted face. "That's such a disgusting thought! I hate stupid faggots!"

"Do you like to teach disgusting faggots like Eric a lesson?" Blair asked.

Jake looked at her, his expression unreadable.

Blair's stomach was telling her no, as were her lips, but she knew that sometimes, you had to take one for the team for the greater good of man. "You know," she purred, "the thought of you teaching that retched faggot a lesson kind of turns me on." She began to kiss up the side of Jake's neck. At least he was good looking. _Still, his inside outweighs his outside_, Blair thought.

"Oh yeah?" Jake began to gently stroke Blair's hair.

Blair nodded. "Mm hm! So, did you teach Derek a lesson, like he said you did?" she asked.

Jake grinned. "It's really turning you on, the thought of me teaching Eric a lesson, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Oh yes, Jake! It's turning me on so, very much!" She kissed up his neck again, and rubbed his chest. _Yuck!_ She was already figuring out the best kind of mouthwash to wash her mouth out with when she got home. That is, after she brushed her teeth a few times.

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret then. But, it has to be between us, all right?" Jake asked, moving them so that she was now the one against the wall, and he was leaning over her.

Blair swallowed nervously. "My lips are sealed."

Jake grinned, then moved his lips so close to hers, they were almost touching. "The truth is..."

"Yes?" Blair asked in a whisper. This was it! He was going to confess to her, and she'd have it all on tape!

Jake's eyes suddenly turned cold. "The truth is, your little friend murdered my friend in cold blood. Do you think I'm stupid and blind? I saw you sitting on his side. I _know_ he's a friend of yours."

"We're more like frenemies, really," Blair tried. "We really cant stand each other, but I'm good friends with his stepbrother, so I'm obligated."

Jake smirked. "Nice try! Your friend is going to pay for what he's done to my friend." He brushed his lips against her ear. "But if you still want to hook up, give me a call." He winked at her, and made a clicking sound with his tongue.

Blair snarled. "Ugh! You're disgusting! Get the hell away from me!" She pushed him away hard.

Jake laughed, then took off, waving without looking back. "See you in the courtroom!" he called out.

"Ugh! Whatever!" Blair said with a scowl.

She cried out in frustration, then stomped toward the courthouse. She wasn't giving up yet! Maybe she'd have better luck with Mitchel. After all, he seemed like a much weaker link.

She sighed. It was worth a shot. After all, a shot may be all Eric had.

~GG~

"Mitchel, may I please talk to you alone for a minute? Thanks," Blair said, walking right up to Mitchel in the hallway, and dragging him away from his girlfriend, not even waiting for an answer.

"What's up? I don't really know you, so why do you want to talk to me?" Mitchel asked, confused, once Blair had pulled him into am empty conference room.

"I'm Blair Waldorf. I'm sure you've heard of me," she said proudly.

Mitchel nodded. "Gossip Girl talks about you like every day."

Blair smirked, and raised an eyebrow at him.

"My girlfriend's really into that site," Mitchel quickly explained.

"Mm hm," Blair said, knowing full well that Mitchel was as addicted to the site as his girlfriend was. She could tell by his embarrassment. Besides, who wasn't addicted to Gossip Girl—girls and guys alike? Anyway, that wasn't the matter at hand. "Look, I'm not going to play games here. I'm going to get right to it."

"And what would 'it' be?" Mitchel asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Look, we both know you and your little friends beat Eric up the first time, and we both know that Eric is telling the truth. Derek was out to kill him that night, wasn't he?" Blair asked, a hand on her hip.

Mitchel sighed, and looked down to the floor. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Blair crossed her arms over her chest. "Look me in the eyes, and honestly tell me that you and your friends had nothing to do with what happened to Eric. Look me in the eyes and tell me you all haven't been lying on the stand."

Mitchel looked her in the eyes, but didn't say anything.

Blair sighed. "Look, Mitchel, I get this sense that, unlike your friends, you actually _want_ to do good. You seem to me like a good person who has just made some bad choices. If you tell the truth, I promise I'll see what Eric's lawyer can do to get you a deal. You can have less of a punishment if you just do the right thing!"

Mitchel was quiet for a moment. "Jake would kill me," he finally said in almost a whisper.

Blair's heart sped up. "No, he won't! He can't hurt you from prison. I can make sure that you won't go to prison. You'll be protected. EJ can make sure of that!" She wasn't really a hundred percent sure, but she was sure EJ could work _something_ out. After all, that's what lawyers always did on these cop shows. Besides, she was willing to say anything now if it meant helping Eric.

Mitchel sighed. "Derek certainly wasn't the nice guy he made himself out to be. He could be anyone he wanted to be, depending on the situation."

"I'm gonna need more info than that," Blair said.

"Mitchel!" The door slammed open before Mitchel could respond.

Mitchel jumped, and looked back toward the sound of Jake's voice. There stood Jake, looking angry as ever.

"Mitchel, what are you doing alone in here with her?" he asked, taking slow but deliberate steps toward Mitchel.

"N-Nothing! She's just trying to get me to say we're lying about Derek, but it's not going to work!" Mitchel turned back to Blair, his expression angry. "We're _not_ lying! Eric is a cold-blooded killer. He was obsessed with Derek, and he ended up killing him because of his obsession. The little faggot is going to pay for what he did to my friend!"

Jake smirked. "Nice try, Blair, but friends stick together." Jake put an arm around Mitchel. "And we're not cracking. We're sticking to our story because it's the truth! That faggot's going to get what's coming to him, whether you like it or not!" He looked at Mitchel. "Come on! Gia's looking for you, and it's time to get back into the court room, and watch that faggot get his just desserts."

Mitchel nodded, and let Jake lead him out.

When Mitchel was just about out the door, he turned his head back to look at Blair. He looked so sad and pitiful. "I'm sorry," he mouthed to Blair before leaving the room.

Blair sighed. He was about to crack. She knew it! Now, all she had to do was get EJ to put him on the witness stand. EJ could get him to crack. She could feel it!

~GG~

"I don't know. After the witnesses I was asked to put on the stand the last time, I'm weary of putting anyone else on," EJ said.

"Well, you have no one but Detective Abrams and Eric eft. What do you have to lose?" Blair asked. "I know he's about to crack. I can see it in the eyes. Plus, he already told me Derek could be a different person than he led some to believe; that it depended on the situation. And, when Jake pulled him away, Mitchel told me he was sorry."

EJ sighed. "But, if he changes his tune like Derek's parents did, this could _hurt_ Eric's case—not help it. For all we know, it could be a set up."

Eric sighed. "You know what? I have a feeling I'm losing as it is. If there is even a small possibility that I have another chance, then, I say let's go for it."

"We still have you and Detective Abrams to testify. The jury may sympathize with you. It may not be over," EJ stated.

"Even so, let's hear what Mitchel has to say. I do remember that, before they all turned on me, he seemed the nicest out of all of Derek's friends. He's a Christian," Eric stated.

Blair snorted. "Some Christian, doing to you what he did."

"He didn't have a big a part in it as the others did. Derek was the most relentless." Eric looked away. He hated remembering back to that first night he had gotten beaten up.

EJ sighed. "Well, all right then. If this is what you want, then we will put Mitchel on the stand."

Eric nodded. "It's what I want."

Blair placed a hand over his arm. "You're making the right decision, Eric. I have a good feeling about this."

Eric sighed. He just hoped her feeling was right. For _his_ feeling was suddenly not so optimistic.

~GG~

"Your Honor, I have a few more I'd like to call to the stand," EJ requested once the court was now back in session, and the DA had announced she had no more witnesses.

"Very well," Judge Walker stated.

"I'd like to call Mr. Mitchel Thomas to the stand one more time," EJ announced.

Mitchel looked shocked, but went up to the stand, and got re-sworn in nevertheless.

"Mr. Thomas, hello, again," EJ began.

"Hello." Mitchel sounded nervous.

EJ was nervous himself. He wasn't too fond of the idea of being made to look like an idiot again. "Mr. Thomas, I would like to ask you again, are you a hundred percent sure that Derek and your friends never hurt Eric? You know, I can get you off on a much lesser charge—no jail time even—if you help us find the truth in this whole situation. I promise you that."

Mitchel looked nervous. "I, um..." He stopped speaking, and glanced over at Jake.

Jake's eyes remained glued on Mitchel's.

"Mr. Thomas, I'm over here. I'll ask you again. Are you a hundred percent sure that Derek and your friends never hurt Eric?" EJ asked.

Mitchel looked at EJ. Then, he looked at Eric. Then, he looked at Jake again.

"You'd be given full protection," EJ stated.

Mitchel looked at EJ again. "I already told you what happened. That is the truth. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to lie to protect your client. He killed my friend, and he needs to pay for that."

EJ sighed. "That is all the questions I have for him, Your Honor." He looked at Mitchel again. "You had your chance."

Mitchel looked away from him.

"DA Woods, would you like to cross-examine?" Judge Walker asked, Looking over at DA Woods.

DA Woods smirked her trademark smug smirk. "No thank you, Your Honor. Mr. Scott is batting three for three here."

EJ rolled his eyes.

Judge Walker looked to EJ. "You may call your next witness."

EJ sighed, then called to the stand, Detective Abrams.

"Detective Abrams, what did the texts say that you retrieved off Miss Humphrey's phone?" EJ asked.

"They said exactly what Miss Humphrey said they did." Detective Abrams then read the report that had been brought along for evidence that had all the texts that were relevant to the case printed out on it. Then, EJ showed the sheet on the projector, so that it could be blown up big enough and displayed well enough for the audience to see. The jury got their own copy of the report, which got passed around to them after the judge had seen it.

"So, it doesn't appear that Miss Humphrey was lying then," EJ stated.

Detective Abrams shook his head. "No, Sir, it doesn't."

EJ nodded. "That is all the questions I have for you at this time. Thank you."

"DA Woods, would you like to cross-examine?" Judge Walker asked the DA.

"Yes, please, Your Honor," DA Woods said before making her way over to Detective Abrams.

"Detective Abrams, do you think it is at all possible that miss Humphrey could have been working with someone, and had them send her those texts soully for the purpose of being able to back up the story she came up with? For instance, couldn't her brother have made up the whole story of his phone being stolen? Could Miss. Humphrey, her brother, and Mr. Van der Woodsen all be working together to cover up the murder?" DA Woods asked.

Detective Abrams nodded. "Well, yes, Ma'am, it's certainly possible. It wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened. In fact, I see a lot of that in my line of work."

"And does the fact that Jenny has the texts she said she had mean that they came from Derek or one of his friends?" DA Woods asked.

Detective Abrams shook his head. "All it proves is that she is telling the truth about getting the texts from her brother's phone. As for who sent her the texts, well, that still remains to be seen."

"Could it just as easily have been her brother, or even she herself, texting her own phone from her brother's phone, and then getting rid of her brother's phone? Or, her brother texting her, and then getting rid of the phone? Eric texting her even?" DA Woods asked.

"Well, yes, Ma'am. All those things are very possible," Detective Abrams stated.

DA Woods smiled. "Thank you, Detective. You'e been very helpful. That is all the questions I have for you."

Detective Abrams nodded politely at her, but didn't say anything more.

"Detective Abrams, you may take your seat," Judge Walker told him.

"Thank you, Your Honor," Detective Abrams said with a polite nod at the judge. He then got up, and did as the judge said he could.

"Your Honor, I'd like to call to the stand, my last witness, Mr. Eric Van der Woodsen," EJ announced.

Eric was so nervous. Especially after Mitchel's last statement. He really needed to sell this. All he could do was tell the truth, and hoped it was enough for the jury to believe him.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 16: The Verdict Is In.**_

"Mr. Van Der Woodsen, will you please tell us about yours and Derek's relationship before he turned on you?" EJ asked first.

Eric nodded. "We first met when I didn't have money for a taxi. I had forgotten my wallet in my other pants. I ran into Derek, and we ended up getting on the topic of me not having money for a cab. He was going to pay for a cab for me, but I didn't want to take a stranger's money. He insisted on walking me home with him umbrella at least. I agreed to that. On the way back to my place, we talked, and found out we had a lot in common. We really hit it off! We hit it off so well that we made plans to go to lunch and then go see the new Adam Sandler movie, since we both loved Adam Sandler."

"Who initiated the get together?" EJ asked.

"Derek did." Eric answered. "I had asked him to come in for a soda or something, but he declined. That was when he asked about lunch and the movie."

"And, how did your first date go?" EJ asked.

"It went great! We had a great lunch together with great conversation, and we both enjoyed the movie. I touched his hand in the popcorn bowl as kind of a test to see if he was gay. To my relief, he caressed my hand in return. Then, later, Derek rested his hand overtop of my hand on the arm rest. I was pretty sure then that he was gay. My suspicions were confirmed when I dared to kiss him outside of the theater after the movie. He kissed me back, and there was no more question. We made plans to get together the next day, and we parted ways after exchanging numbers," Eric continued.

"Where did you go the next day?" EJ asked.

"We went tot he bowling alley, like his friends said. Only, nothing that they said happened there actually happened," Eric stated.

"What really happened?" EJ asked.

Eric continued. "Well, I met everyone, and they were all so nice to me. They had me play on the girls' team, since there were too many guys for it to be boys against girls. The guys won, but they bought me and the girls dinner at the bowling alley. We all had a fun time, and I didn't sense any animosity at all. I guess I had been too in love and naive to notice any. We went to a club after that, and we danced, and had such a blast! Again, everyone was so nice, and I didn't notice any animosity. Jessica and Gia even danced with me, as did Derek of course. After we danced, Derek pulled me aside, and gave me the sweetest kiss. We made plans to have a picnic at the park the next day, then we were going to spend the whole day together."

"And how did that date go? Anything weird?" EJ asked.

Eric nodded. "Yes. At first, everything went great. We enjoyed the lunch I bought. We had a nice lunch, and kissed after. Then, we went for a walk. When we got to the playground, I wanted him to push me on the swings. You know, like the guy always does for the girl in movies. I'm a big romantic."

EJ nodded. "Did he push you?"

Eric nodded. "He pushed me on the swings. It was fine at first, but then he started pushing me harder and harder until I thought I was going to fall off. I kept telling him to stop, but he wouldn't. He finally let my swing stop. He apologized, saying he had just gotten carried away. He said he'd have never let me fall. That I was safe with him." Eric snorted. "What a joke _that_ turned out to be."

"So, what did you do next?" EJ asked.

"Well, I wanted to bring the picnic basket back home so that I didn't have to lug it around. So, I did. Derek came with me, so I gave him a tour of my house...and my bedroom." Eric blushed. He couldn't believe he had forgotten that part. How does a guy forget losing his virginity?

"Then what happened?" EJ asked.

Derek blushed even more. His family didn't even know about this. Jenny did, but none of the others knew. He guessed they would know now. "We slept together. Then, Derek went home for a bit, and I stayed back at my place. We met up for dinner and a movie later, and had a great time. Dinner was delicious, and the movie, well, we made out during the movie." Eric was trying his best to avoid eye contact with any of his family members—even Jenny. "After the movie, I asked him if he would like to meet my parents. He said he would, but he had a surprise for me first."

EJ raised an eyebrow. "A surprise?"

Eric nodded."Only it wasn't a surprise. He took me to a dark alley in Harlem. I was so confused. Derek said that he had hid my surprise in the alley because it was too big to be inside or something like that. He practically dragged me into the alley, even though I said I wanted to leave. That was when I saw all his friends. Well, Gia wasn't there for some reason, but Jake, Mitchel, and Jessica were started mocking me and calling me a faggot."

"Then what happened?" EJ asked, his voice almost a whisper.

Eric teared up at the memory. "Derek grabbed my arm, and threw me against the wall. I asked him what he was doing. He said he was getting ready to teach me a lesson. Jessica handed him a baseball bat. At first, I thought it was a sick joke, but he quickly assured me it wasn't. I told Derek that I thought he said he loved me. I was confused, because he was gay too. Then Derek confessed that he had been playing me all along. He slept with me to get me to fall even harder for him; to make it all the more painful for me when I realized he was playing me. They all wanted me to be punished for being a 'faggot' as they called me." He stopped for a moment to catch his voice.

"Take your time," EJ quietly urged.

"I reminded Derek that we had slept together, so that must mean he cared for me at least a little bit. He told me that he had had to picture Cameron Diaz so that he didn't throw up all over me. Then, he hit me hard on the shoulder with a baseball bat. I tried to run, but Jake stopped me by hitting me hard on the face with a board. I cried out in pain, and fell to the ground. Jessica then kicked me in the head, while Mitchel kicked me in the ribs. I was screaming. I couldn't stop. I was in so much pain. Derek got angry because I was screaming, and hit me repeatedly with the bat, over, and over, screaming at me to shut up, and calling me a faggot. I held my hands up, begging them to stop. I told them I didn't want any trouble. Jake said I should have thought of that before being deciding to be a faggot. He began to beat my hands with the board. I instinctively dropped my arms, and Jessica and Mitchel went back to kicking my ribs. Derek kept screaming at me to shut up, but Jake was hitting my legs with the board, and Jessica and Mitchel were still kicking my ribs, so I couldn't help but scream. I guess Derek flipped out then. He hit me as hard as he could across the face with the bat. I must have passed out then, because that is all I remember. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital," Eric stated.

EJ nodded. "Thank you for rehashing all that. I know it must have been painful for you. That is all the questions I have for you." EJ looked at the judge. "The defense rests, Your Honor."

Judge Walker nodded. "Very well. DA Woods, would you like to cross-examine?"

DA Woods stood up. "Yes, Your Honor." She headed over to Eric. "Mr. Van der Woodsen, you seem to remember a lot for it being all those weeks ago."

Eric looked at her, resisting the urge to spit in her face. "Something like that, you don'r forget," he said coldly.

DA Woods raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because, they way I always heard it, people tend to block out traumatic events."

"I did forget at first. Then, when I saw Derek in a restaurant after the accident, everything came flooding back to me," Eric stated.

"Still, it seems odd that you would suddenly remember every detail," DA Woods stated.

"Well, I did!" Eric said, annoyed now.

DA Woods paced in front of him. "You also didn't seem very emotional about the whole situation. I would think that someone who went through such a traumatic event like you did would have a harder time talking about it."

"I _was_ emotional! I'm sorry if I didn't seem emotional enough to you! I don't like to show my feelings! Besides, I'm a little distracted by how much you're ticking me off!" Eric snapped.

DA Woods smiled. "Now let's not let your temper get the best of you again."

Eric slammed his fists down on the ledge in front of him. "Stop trying to make me look guilty!"

DA Woods smirked. "I think you've done a pretty good job of that all on your own, Mr. Van der Woodsen." She turned to the judge. "The prosecution rests, Your Honor."

Judge Walker nodded. "Very well then. Mr. Van der Woodsen, you may take your seat. DA Woods, you may give your closing statement."

DA Woods headed up to the jury. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I am asking that you please give Derek Anderson Justice. As you've all heard today from the witnesses, Derek was such a kind and caring boy. It wasn't his fault that Mr. Van der Woodsen got a little too obsessed with him, or that he wasn't a gay man like Mr. Van der Woodsen. It _certainly_ wasn't Derek's fault that he didn't hold the same affections for Mr. Van der Woodsen that Mr. Van der Woodsen felt for him. He tried to let Mr. Van der Woodsen down gentle, but Mr. van der Woodsen kept on pushing him. And, when Mr. Van der Woodsen still wasn't getting what he wanted, he killed Mr. Anderson in cold blood. He figured, if he couldn't have Derek, then no one could. Then, he and his friends all schemed together to make it look like Derek was the one who tried to kill him. Derek had no motive to kill Eric, but Eric had a huge motive for killing Derek. Now, it's too late for Derek. But maybe, just maybe, you all can help Derek to get some justice even after his death. Please, I beg of you not to let his killer get off free while Derek can no longer enjoy life because of him. Let Derek's friends get justice for their friend having been killed, then having the murder blamed on them. Let Derek's parents get justice for their son's death. Most of all, let Derek get the justice that he is no longer here to beg for. Thank you! I rest my case."

"Mr. Scott. You may make your closing statement now," Judge Walker stated.

EJ stood up, and walked over to the jury. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, you've all heard the testimonies. I know my client looks guilty, but think about it. Would a barely eighteen-year-old boy be able to come up with a story like that? You've seen the medical reports. He didn't make up what happened to him. He really sustained those injuries. True, it's still no proof that it was Mr. Anderson and his friends that did that to him, but do you really think my client would leave such a false accusation on innocent people? Especially just because a boy didn't love him back in return? You all heard the character witnesses say what a good person he is. You can even tell from looking at my client that he isn't the type of person to murder anyone. Sure, he has a temper on him, but don't we all? If you get into an argument with your loved one, you're angry with them. But it doesn't mean you'd kill them, does it? My client suffered not only getting his heart broken by a man he was in love with and thought loved him in return, but also, he suffered a nearly fatal beating by the man that he was in love with. Mr. Anderson played with Mr. Van der Woodsen's affections. He made Mr. Van der Woodsen fall madly in love with him, even going so far as to sleep with him. Then, he and his friends brutally beat my client up just because he was gay. They beat him up for something he can't help anymore than a straight person can change that they are straight. Then, when my client wasn't going to keep quiet. When he wasn't going to let Derek and his friends get away with it or hurt anyone else, Mr. Anderson decided that my client had to be murdered so that he would never speak again. So that Mr. Anderson and his friends wouldn't get in trouble for the heinous crime they committed. They only cared about themselves. They were willing to kill my client just for the sake of getting out of trouble. But, Mr. Anderson's plan didn't work out as he would have hoped. My client fought back, and had to kill Mr. Anderson. I'm sure all of you would have done the same thing if it came down to being killed or protecting yourself and living. I trust that you will all find it in your hearts to make the right decision, and not make my client pay anymore than he already has for something he simply had no control over—being a gay man in love with another man. We all want love. Don't make him pay for falling in love, and for protecting himself from being killed, which, like I said, we all would have done if we were in that situation. I rest my case."

EJ took his seat.

Eric placed a hand over his shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered.

EJ smiled at him. "You're welcome. I just hope it was enough."

Eric moved his hand from EJ's shoulder, and looked at the judge. He hoped so too.

"I'm going to dismiss the jury now into their chamber to make their decision. Court will resume in an hour." Judge Walker banged his gavel. "The court is adjourned."

They all rose upon the bailiff's request, and then were free to go for an hour once the judge was back inside his chambers.

Eric sighed. This was it. In one hour, he would find out his fate. He'd either be stuck in prison for the rest of his life, or he would be a free man. He had no idea which it would be. As far as he was concerned, the way things had gone, it might as well have been a flip of a coin.

~GG~

"You did so good, Eric! I'm proud of you!" Jenny said, hugging Eric tightly.

Lily had tear in her eyes. "I never knew that you and Derek..." She trailed off.

"Yeah, well, I kind of just want to forget about it," Eric said with a blush of shame. He regretted sleeping with Derek, of course. He shuttered at the thought. He wanted to throw up. What had he been thinking?

"I want to kill them for what they did to you! I never heard it in detail before," William said, his fists clenched. "I swear, the are going to be happy they are in jail. It will be far easier on them than what I would do to them."

Rufus nodded. "I'm with you there. It took every ounce of strength in me not to pound the crap out of Jake and his friends right then and there when Eric rehashed it."

"Derek's lucky he's already dead. If he wasn't, he would be shortly," Chuck said dryly. He had never before heard the detail of what happened either.

"Even when Jake goes to jail, I still think he should pay. I want to hurt him. So badly." Serena stated.

"Oh, I'm definitely with you on that one," Dan said.

"As am I," Nate stated.

"I just wish I could have helped. Instead, my plan bombed just as much as Chuck's did," Blair said.

Eric smiled at you. "You tried. That's all that matters."

They all talked for a while more. Jake and his friends had disappeared, as had Derek's parents. Though, Eric was sure they would all be back once the hour was up.

~GG~

The hour had gone by all to fast, and, just like that, Eric's fate would be decided in a matter of moments.

As Eric had figured, Derek's parents and friends had returned. His parents were looking straight head. Derek's friends were all looking at him.

Derek tried his best to ignore them all, and kept his eyes on the judge, who had just entered the court room.

The judge sat, and the bailiff told them they could all be seated as well.

"Has the jury come to a decision?" Judge Walker asked.

"Yes, Your Honor," we have," the lead jury member answered.

"Please rise for the verdict," Judge Walker ordered Eric, EJ, and DA Woods.

Eric, EJ, and DA Woods stood.

"Please read the verdict," Judge Walker ordered the lead jury member.

Eric's heart was pounding so fast, he thought for sure it might burst. His stomach was in knots.

The lead jury member cleared his throat. "We the jury, representing the district of Manhattan in the state of New York find the defendant..."

Eric held his breath. This was it—the moment that decided his fate.

"Guilty of first degree murder for the murder of Mr. Derek Anderson," the lead jury member announced.

Eric had to sit down. He had had a feeling he might be found guilty, but to actually hear it... No words could describe how he was feeling. He could hear his family's outraged cries, and Derek's friends' cheers. He could hear his mother sobbing hysterically. Everything started to spin then. This was it, he realized. His life was officially over.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 17: A Reprieve**_

"I'm sorry. I feel like I've let you down. I should have had your ex-boyfriends come in to testify that you weren't a crazy, obsessive boyfriend. I should have done more. Surely there was something more I could have done!" EJ said, his expression mournful.

Eric placed a hand over his shoulder. "You did fine, EJ. The DA just twisted everything around, and Derek's friends and parents lied. It wasn't your fault!"

"My baby! How can I let you rot in prison? If I could get them to take me instead, I would! I can't let you pay for something you didn't do!" Lily said, rushing over to him, and pulling him tightly into her arms. She began sobbing.

Rufus placed a hand over her back. "We're going to get an appeal as soon as possible."

William nodded. "We'll get one of _my_ lawyers this time. Heck, we'll get a whole team of lawyers this time.We'll get someone who actually knows what they're doing."

EJ winced.

"Dad, EJ did fine. It wasn't his fault Derek's friends and parents lied," Eric defended.

"Well, he's a lawyer. He's supposed to be trained for stuff like that!" William snapped with a scowl at EJ.

"Dad!" Eric protested.

EJ shook his head. "No. Your father's right. I let you down."

"Don't let the scumbags make you feel bad about yourself. This is all on Derek and his lying friends and family," Jenny assured EJ.

"I want to snap their necks like a twig—all of them," Chuck said, nodding at Derek's friends and parents.

"I'll be right there with you," Dan said.

"And me," Nate chimed in.

"They're going to get what's coming to them. I promise you that," Serena stated, watching them as well.

"Especially with my help," Blair said.

"Count us in," Rufus said, pointing to himself and William.

William nodded. "That is one thing I will agree with you on, Rufus!"

Eric dared to look over at Derek's friends and family. He hadn't wanted to look. He was sure they were all gloating. But, as much as he tried to avoid it, there it was, calling him to look.

He slowly looked over and saw Jessica had hopped onto Jake, who was holding her with her legs wrapped around his waist, and spinning her around in circles. Derek's parents looked at him, then they both looked away as soon as they saw him looking at them. They looked more upset than happy, but it was hard to tell. Jessica was squealing with joy, and Jake was cheering. Gia was fiddling with her fingers, no expression on her face, really. Mitchel, well, Eric was surprised to see him looking absolutely miserable. In fact, he looked like he was about to cry.

"Order, order! I still have a sentencing to give!" Judge Walker said, banging his gavel.

Everyone quieted right up. It was if they had all forgotten about the sentencing.

"Seeing is this is a first time offense for you, Mr. Van der Woodsen, and since I myself am not so sure that it wasn't in self-defense, I will let you off with twenty-five years in the Lincoln Correctional Facility with option of parole in ten years," Judge Walker announced.

Eric dropped back into his seat, and buried his face in his hands. He had finally broken down. At least it wasn't life in prison. Also, he knew that he couldn't get the death penalty in New York at least. Still, twenty-five years was a very long time. By the time he got out of jail, he'd be forty-three years old. He was scared. He heard what prison did to a person. Worse, he heard what they did to you in prison. Was he going to be put into jail with other murderers?

Lily ran over to her son, and embraced him again. She sobbed so loudly, her sobs echoed off the courtroom walls.

"I'm scared, Mom. I'm so scared," Eric confessed, holding her tightly, and shaking.

Lily looked up at the judge. "Take me, instead, Your Honor. Please, don't take my son. He's only eighteen! Take me instead!"

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but you know as well as I do that it doesn't work that way," the judge stated.

Lily sobbed harder.

_This is it,_ Eric thought. _Half my life is over. Maybe my life period if I don't survive prison._

And then, he heard it. It was nine little words, but they were more than enough to save his life just as quickly as it had ended.

"He didn't do it! It was me. I did it."

Everyone in the courtroom looked over toward the sound of the voice—even Judge Walker and the DA.

There stood Mitchel, trembling from head to toe. "He didn't do it," he repeated. "It was me. I'm the one who killed Derek. Eric didn't do it."

~GG~

Everyone started talking at once.

Judge Walker banged his gavel. "Silence! Order in the court! I want you all to sit down and shut up while I get this sorted out!" Judge Walker barked.

Everyone was shocked to be talked to like that from the judge, but, since he was the judge, they listened.

"Now. In light of Mr. Thomas' confession, I am revoking Mr. Van der Woodsen's sentence," Judge Walker stated. He turned to the Bailiff. "George, will you please swear Mr. Thomas back in?"

The bailiff nodded, then swore Mitchel back in.

"Now, Mr. Thomas, I want you to tell me the whole story starting from when Derek first told you about Eric," Judge Walker ordered.

Mitchel took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. He wouldn't make eye contact with anyone, Eric noticed.

Finally, Mitchel spoke. "They met exactly the way everyone said they met. The only difference was, Derek told us he was playing Eric since day one. He knew who Eric was the moment he bumped into him. I don't think he planned this whole thing ahead of time. He didn't mean to bump into Eric. But, once he did, the plan was immediately put into action. Derek was extremely homophobic, and wanted, in his own words, 'homophobes to pay.' He wanted Eric to pay for being gay, so he came up with this elaborate scheme to make Eric fall madly in love with him. Then, once Eric had fallen hard for him, he wanted to beat him up. He thought it would teach him a lesson about being gay."

"And, you went along with it," Judge Walker half asked, half stated.

Mitchel nodded. "I'm ashamed of it now, but yes. Derek played on my Christianity. He played on the fact that the Bible is against homosexuality. He had me so brainwashed that it wasn't until after I helped to beat Eric up, and it wasn't until after I saw how vicious Derek was getting when beating him up, that I realized _I_ was the one in the wrong. I'm sure God was much more angry with me than He was with Eric at that moment. Heck, He probably wasn't angry with Eric at all."

"So, did Derek tell you about any of his dates?" Judge Walker asked.

Mitchel nodded. "Yes, Your Honor. He'd always mock Eric, and say how into the date Eric was. He'd also say how disgusted he was to have to had to play along. We did go to the bowling alley together—all of us. Eric was so nice to all of us. He wasn't obsessive at all. Derek encouraged him. Derek was a really good actor. He actually looked and seemed like he was just as in love with Eric as Eric was with him. Derek and Jake thought it would be funny to put Eric on the girls' team since he was gay, and more girl than guy—according to them. Eric just though the soul reason was that he needed to be on their team to even it out. That was part of the reason, but not the whole reason. We all had a great time. When we went to the club after, Derek and Eric danced together, and Eric danced with the girls. We all had fun, and, on the surface, nothing was out of the ordinary."

"Did you hang out with Eric any other time?" Judge Walker asked next.

Mitchel shook his head. "No. Every time Derek would hang out with Eric though, he'd come home saying how disgusting Eric was, and how, when with Eric, he had to picture beautiful women so that he wouldn't puke. Actually, the night we all got back from the club is the night that Derek told us of his plan. He wanted to spend the whole next day with Eric in attempt to get Eric to fall even deeper in love with him. Then, at night, we'd all attack Eric. I was against it at first, but then Derek brought up my religion, and, like an idiot, I agreed to it. Jake was all for it of course. At the time, we hadn't brought it up to the girls yet. I didn't want Gia being involved to begin with in case we got caught. I didn't plan on telling her about it until after the fact. Even then, I was only going to mention it if it was brought up. See, Gia had already planned on going to Vegas with some friends of hers from high school for a few days, so she wouldn't be home anyway. It was just a girls' thing, so of course I wasn't invited."

"So, she left not knowing that you and her friends were going to beat Mr. Van der Woodsen up that night?" Judge Walker asked.

Mitchel nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Did you tell her about it later?" Judge Walker asked.

Mitchel nodded. "Knowing how Derek and Jake are, she kind of suspected it after hearing what had happened to Eric. When she asked me if I was involved, I didn't want to lie. She didn't go to the cops because Jake and Derek scared her as much as they scared me. Also, she wanted to protect me of course. By then, it had already been done, so she didn't see how it could make things any better if she told on us. It would only make things _bad_ for us."

"Tell me about the attack," Judge Walker ordered.

"Well, after having slept with Eric, Derek was out for blood. He acted like Eric made him have sex with him even though Derek clearly admitted he did it on purpose to get Eric to fall the hardest for him. He wanted the bashing to hurt him emotionally as well as physically. I almost backed out then, but, once again, Derek persuaded me to stick to the plan. Derek was a master of getting people to do his bidding. He would play on anyone's weak points, and believe me, he knew your weak points. So, he took Eric to dinner and a movie, and had Jake, Jessica, and I waiting in the alley for them. Jessica had been all for it when Jake told her of the plan. Jessica will do anything Jake asks of her. Plus, she loves doing anything that makes her—please excuse my language, but for lack of a better term—badass." Mitchel blushed.

Judge Walker nodded in understanding.

Mitchel continued. "Anyway, they came to the alley after the movie. Derek had told Eric he had a big surprise for him that was too big to keep inside, so he hid it in the alley where no one could find it. Of course the lie was so lame, Eric started picking up on it. After all, _anyone_ could find something in an alley in _that_ part of town. Eric didn't like that part of town, and wanted to leave. That's when Eric saw us, and the rest went down just as Eric said it did. We all started mocking Eric, and I told Eric that God despises faggots. Derek then confessed to Eric that he had been playing him all along, and that the sex had been just that—sex. He told Eric that he was disgusted by him. Eric was in tears, and hurt and confused." Mitchel paused for a moment, actually tearing up. "I'm sorry. Just, thinking back on it, I can't believe I did this. Derek took the first swing of the bat. He hit Eric's shoulder with his bat. Then Jake hit Eric across the face with a board when Eric tried to escape. Eric fell to the ground. Jessica kicked his head, and I kicked his ribs. Jake kept whacking Eric's arms and legs. Jessica then joined me in the rib kicking. Derek just kept whacking Eric with the bat anywhere he could, and screaming at Eric to shut up. When Eric wouldn't shut up, Derek pulled the bat back as far as he could and cracked it hard over Eric's face. Eric blacked out, and I started to panic. I didn't want to do it anymore. I tried to get Derek to stop, but he wouldn't. It was like he was possessed! He just kept whacking and whacking Eric with that bat. Jessica stopped too, saying she was bored. Jake stopped too. I think even _he_ realized enough was enough. Then we heard the sirens. Derek still gave Eric one last slam of the bat to the face before he stopped. He then took Eric's wallet, and we all took off. We left Eric there all alone. I felt awful, but, at that point, there wasn't much I could do. I was too scared to stand up to Derek—especially when I had just witnessed how violent and dangerous he could be."

"So, what happened next?" Judge Walker asked.

"Well, at first, Derek thought we were in the clear because no one thought Eric would survive. I was so scared. My conscious wanted me to confess, but another part of me was too scared of what would happen to me if I told. When we found out Eric was going to live, I was so relieved. Of course, I couldn't let on to Derek that I was relived. Derek was livid as it was that Eric was going to survive. He calmed down a bit when he found out Eric didn't even remember him. Then, when he saw Eric in the restaurant a short while later, and he knew that Eric saw him, he started to get nervous. He had Eric followed, and found out he remembered. He used a disposable phone and called Eric's house. He paid some random girl on the street to call and ask for Eric, saying she was a girl named Annabelle. Then, once Eric was on the phone, Derek walked off with the phone, away from the girl he payed, and talked to Eric himself. He threatened Eric by telling him that we would hurt Jenny if he told on us. He promised that he had connections that would get to her and gang rape her even if all of us were put in prison. It worked for a while, but, eventually, Eric told Jenny what had happened, and Jenny convinced him to tell their parents and go to the cops. Derek still had someone following Eric. That is how he found all that out. Derek was always one step ahead. He also had someone following Dan. The person following Dan used a little kid to distract Dan. While the kid spilled his drink on Dan, the person that followed him stole his phone and texted Jenny. It not only got Jenny out of the way, but it put a pause on her and Eric going to their parents and the cops about what we had done. Derek paid a cab driver a whole lot of money to take Eric to the alley he was going to kill him in instead of back to Eric's place. The cab driver didn't know why Derek was paying him all that money. All he knew was that he would get paid the money if there were no questions asked. I guess, living in New York and being a New York City Cab driver, it wasn't anything that out of the ordinary for the driver, so, yet again, Derek got someone to do his bidding."

"Were you and your friends involved this time?" Judge Walker asked.

Mitchel shook his head. "Jake and Jessica were out at Jessica's parents' beach house. They were taking advantage of it since Jessica's parents were out of town. Gia was out to dinner for a family dinner with her parents. Derek came to me, asking me for help in making sure that Eric didn't go tot he cops on us. He wanted to shut him up once and for all. I was against it from the start, but Derek promised me it wouldn't be as bad as the last time. It took some convincing, but he finally convinced me to do it since he assured me it wasn't going to be a horrible beating like last time."

"What did you think he was going to do?" Judge Walker asked, a little shocked at Mitchel's naivety.

Mitchel shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was just stupid. Later what night, I found out what Derek _really_ had in mind. He tossed me a pair of gloves. He said they were so that our fingerprints wouldn't be over the knives. Then, he showed me that he had gotten us each a nine-inch switchblade. I told Derek I thought he was he wasn't going to hurt Eric. He said he said no such thing! Apparently, his idea of making sure once and for all that Eric wouldn't tell the cops on us was by killing him. We argued. I told him that, though God was against homosexuality, He was also against killing. Derek tried to spin it, saying it was okay as long as you were doing God's will. However, I wasn't going to kill Eric. He got angry, and told me I better not even _think_ about calling the cops, or I'd be _really_ sorry. I told him I was washing my hands of it, but I wouldn't tell on him. He said he could do it himself anyway. Eric was still on crutches, so he didn't think he'd have a problem. He warned me again not to call the police or something far worse than prison would happen to me. That was more than enough to scare me off. I knew Derek meant it when he said stuff like that. He had the connections and the resources to do back up his promises. He left, and that was that...for the time being."

"Tell me, what happened next?" Judge Walker asked, clearly enthralled. The whole courtroom was silent.

"Well, I paced back and forth, deciding whether or not I should call the police. I just couldn't. I didn't want Derek to kill me. So, I decided to go try to talk him out of killing Eric. When I got there, Derek had Eric pinned against the wall. He was about to stab Eric, but, in a split second, Eric knocked his head against Derek's—hard. Then he kneed him hard in the...crotch area. Derek cried out in pain. Eric, whose crutches were right outside the alley, tried to run, but, without his crutches, he couldn't run very fast. Derek caught up to him, and pummeled him. He threw Eric against the wall. The wall hit the back of Eric's head so hard he was knocked unconscious, and fell to the ground. 'You're dead now, Faggot,' Derek warned Eric in the most cold, hateful voice I had ever heard in my life. 'Wake up you sick faggot! I want you to be awake when I kill you.' That's what he said. He looked so...evil. He pulled back his knife. I think he was going to try to stab Eric awake. It all happened so fast. I didn't have time to think. All I knew was that I had to do something right then, or Eric would be dead. So, I took my switchblade that I had brought along for protection, and I stabbed Derek in the back—literally."

"What did he do?" Judge Walker asked.

"Well, he asked what the h-e-l-l, then looked back at me. He said I was dead, then started to go after me. We struggled, and fought. I kicked the knife out of Derek's hand. He lunged for it, but I knocked him to the ground, preventing him from getting the knife. He tried to grab my knife, and actually got ahold of it. We both held onto the knife, not wanting to relinquish it to the other. We rolled around, and suddenly, Derek's eyes widened. I felt something wet between us, and I looked to see the knife had gotten buried in his stomach. I quickly backed off; shocked. 'You're dead!' he screamed at me. I ran a short distance, but he caught up to me. He grabbed me from behind, and turned me around to face him. He pulled the knife out of his stomach, and aimed the knife at me. I just did the first thing that came to my mind. I kicked the knife out of his hand, and it went skidding about a yard away from us. He went to go after it, but I realized that I was right by the other knife. I picked it up, then kicked him down from behind. I then stabbed his right shoulder. I guess I figured, if his stabbing shoulder was hurt, he couldn't grab the other knife and stab me. I was wrong. He managed to kick me, then reached for the knife he had been going for. 'I'm going to kill you, and I'm going to enjoy watching the blood ooze out of your body!' he said to me. Something in me just snapped then. It was either kill or be killed. So, before he could grab the other knife, I stomped hard on his hand. He cried out in pain, and pulled his hand back. I then tackled him to the ground, sat on him while he was on his back, then took my knife and stabbed his stomach wound. He held his hands up for me to stop, but I couldn't. 'You sick bastard! You better finish the job, or I swear you'll be the one who's dead!' he yelled at me before I could even pull the knife back out. So, I stabbed twice more, then another time for good measure. The only thing running through my mind was that I had to make sure he never hurt me or anyone else again. After the fifth time stabbing his stomach, I stopped. I was crying now. I hadn't even realized it until then. I threw down the knife. He was still, and it didn't appear that he was breathing. I called out his name, but he didn't respond. I screamed his name and shook him, but it did no good. I felt for a pulse, and that's when I realized that Derek was dead. I started to have a panic attack. I hadn't had one of those since I was a kid, but there it was. I couldn't breathe. My chest was constricting. I hadn't meant to kill Derek! I just wanted to make his threats stop! I wanted to make the danger stop! Then it hit me—I could go to jail for life for this! I was too weak to go to prison! I'd never make it! I crawled over to Eric's body, and placed my ear to his chest. He was still breathing. I listened for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. I dragged Derek's body over near Eric's, then I took the knife I had used to stab Derek with, and placed it in Eric's hand. Then, after pocketing the other knife, and making sure no other evidence that I had been there was in the alley, I took off. I ran for a good two blocks before calling 911anonymously. I didn't want Eric to die too. That would mean I would have showed up for nothing, and Derek would have died for nothing. I hung up the phone after telling them where Derek and Eric were. Then, I went to the river and tossed the other knife, my bloody shirt, and my gloves into the lake. I had made sure to put my gloves on before I left the house that evening. The knife that killed Derek was the one Derek had kept for himself, so I had never touched the knife with bare fingers. I knew the only fingerprints on the knife would be Eric's. Derek had been careful to keep his gloves on when handling that knife. He was also constantly wiping it, just to be a hundred percent sure his fingerprints wouldn't be found on it. After all, he had planned on using it on Eric. So even _his_ fingerprints weren't on the knife."

"What did you do after getting rid of the evidence?" Judge Walker asked.

"I went back to our apartment, took a shower, then headed to bed. The next day, when the news came that the police had thought Eric had killed Derek, the reality of what I had done really kicked in. I didn't want Eric to take the blame. I had just panicked that night. I didn't want to get in trouble though. When I told Jake about it, he said I'd keep my mouth shut if I knew what was good for me. He said he'd help me cover it up. That is when he told Jessica. I was forced to tell Gia before they did. She was bound to find out anyway. Gia agreed to cover it up because she loves me, and didn't want to get me into trouble. She didn't want to lose me. Jake and Jessica just liked making Eric pay. After all, it's what Derek would have wanted. They figured Derek could still win this way. Also, Jake is just as vicious as Derek. I was afraid of what he'd do to me if I told. I was afraid he might even hurt Gia, so I kept my mouth shut."

"What made you decide to speak up now?" Judge Walker asked.

Mitchel sighed, and looked at Eric. He nodded at him. "He and his family did. Seeing Eric so mortified and scared, and seeing his family so upset, I just couldn't do it anymore. I had to put my religion first for once. God wouldn't want me to let another man take the fall for something I did. I already murdered a man. I need to get on the path of redemption and repentance—not keep adding to my long list of sins. Besides, I couldn't live with myself if Eric lost twenty-five years of his life because of me. I went there that night to save him—not take his life myself. I'm willing to take the punishment I deserve. Just let him go." Mitchel hung his head low.

"Well, with Mr. Thomas' confession, I hereby revoke Mr. Van der Woodsen's guilty verdict, and his prison sentence. Mr. Van der Woodsen, I declare you not guilty of the murder of Mr. Anderson. You are free to go at anytime. You can soon expect a public and formal apology from the police department of the state of New York in the District of Manhattan. This court is adjourned!" Judge Walker banged his gavel.

Eric's family cheered. Lily sobbed, this time out of happiness. Eric felt as if the whole world had been lifted off his shoulders and stomach. It was over. He was free. And the best part about it all was, he didn't kill Derek after all! It wasn't him!

Eric grinned like the Cheshire cat, and grabbed EJ. He didn't care if he and EJ looked like dorks as they embraced each other and jumped up and down, squealing and laughing like school children. He was officially a free man, so who cared what they looked like?

Eric hugged every one of his loved ones that were in the court room, then, as his loved ones moved onto hugging each other, he saw Jake rushing toward Mitchel.

"You're dead, Dirt bag!" Jake screamed as he ran toward Mitchel.

Mitchel's eyes widened, and he crossed his arms over his face in protection.

Luckily for Mitchel, the security grabbed Jake, and read him his rights. The rest of Mitchel's friends were being arrested too. Eric didn't know where the other cops had come from, but, suddenly, there were two cops for each friend of Derek's.

Eric noticed how sad Mitchel looked as he was being arrested, and actually felt bad for him. He knew how conniving Derek could be. Also, there was the little fact that, though Mitchel had helped to beat him up, he had also saved his life twice—once literally, and once figuratively. Mitchel didn't let Derek kill him. Also, Mitchel didn't have to confess now, but he did. He saved him twenty-five years in prison in the process.

"You're all making a big mistake! That faggot needs to pay! His faggot loving friend needs to pay too!" Jake turned to Mitchel. "God's gonna send you to hell for saving a faggot!"

Mitchel turned angry. "No, Jake, God's going to send _you_ to hell for wanting to kill a gay boy."

Jake spit at him, but the spit didn't reach, and fell to the floor.

Judge Walker made a disgusted face. "Get him out of my court room! He disgusts me!"

The police did as told, dragging Jessica and Gia out as well.

The police were about to drag Mitchel out, when Eric stopped them.

"Wait!" Eric said. "Can I please talk to him first for a minute?"

"No longer than a minute," the officer stated.

"Thanks," Eric said to the officer. He then turned to Mitchel. "I just want to thank you for telling the truth. I guess I should also thank you for saving my life. True, you tried to pin Derek's murder on me, but at least you saved my life first. And, in all fairness, you didn't let me take the fall after all," Eric said.

Mitchel looked him in the eyes, looking so sad, Eric couldn't help but feel bad for him. "But I kicked you in the ribs. I helped beat you up, and we left you there. Then, I framed you for murder. I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't deserve _God's_ forgiveness."

Eric shook his head. "I'm not all that religious, but I do know that God forgives _all_ sins. You did the right thing in the end. That's gotta count for something, right?"

Mitchel gave a slight smile. It was so slight, it almost didn't exist, but Eric saw it. "I guess so."

"Look, after what you did, telling the truth, I'd be willing to represent you pro bono. I know I wouldn't have won this case without you, but I'm a better lawyer than the free ones they'd throw on you. Unless, you prefer to hire your own lawyer," EJ told him.

Mitchel blushed. "I can pay you. Could you help Gia too? I know they are my friends, but I don't care about Jake or Jessica. I just want Gia taken care of."

EJ nodded. "Completely understandable. I can head on over to the station in a bit. I'll see what kind of deal I can work out for you both. Since you didn't have much part in the bashing, and since you were trying to protect Eric, not to mention you told the truth, I think I can get you no jail time. Same for Gia since all she really can be charged with is obstruction of justice."

"Thank you. I appreciate it. It's way more than I deserve," Mitchel said.

"All right, time to go!" the officer said, moving Mitchel along.

"I'll be there shortly!" EJ called after him. It felt good to not have the weight of Eric going to prison on his shoulders anymore, so he was feeling generous.

~GG~

"Can you ever forgive us? We were going to tell the truth. We weren't playing you," Mrs. Anderson said to Chuck.

"And we weren't trying to hurt you, or make _you_ look like an idiot," Mr. Anderson said, looking at Eric, and then at EJ.

Mrs. Anderson nodded her agreement.

"But Jake got wind of what was up when he saw us arrive at the courthouse, and threatened us. He said he could make sure we would pay with our lives if he told on him and his friends. He said he had people who could kill us, and no one would be any the wiser. He said they'd make it look like an accident," Mrs. Anderson stated.

Mr. Anderson nodded. "We're getting older. We couldn't defend ourselves very well. Heck, we also know that, at our age, if something happened to us, people wouldn't think much of it," he explained.

"We felt horrible having to lie. I hate to lie!" Mrs. Anderson chimed in.

"Please forgive us," Mr. Anderson added.

Eric sighed. "I understand. I'm not going to jail anyway, so I forgive you."

EJ nodded. "As do I."

Chuck nodded. "And I. I understand."

"Thank you!" Mrs. Anderson, took Eric's hands in hers. "I'm glad you're free. I'm _so_ sorry for what my son did to you!"

"And what his friends did to you," Mr. Anderson chimed in.

"It's okay. It wasn't either of your faults," Eric stated.

"Are we going to have to go to prison for lying under oath?" Mr. Anderson asked.

EJ shrugged. "There's no proof you lied under oath. You loved your son very much, and he loved you. You all had a great relationship. Now, why don't you two just go home and relax, and be glad that this is all over with, and that no one is going to hurt you?" EJ asked them with a wink.

They both smiled knowingly at him.

"Thank you," Mr. Anderson said, patting EJ on the back.

Mrs. Anderson nodded. "Yes, thank you." She took EJ's hands in hers and kissed them.

EJ smiled. "No problem." He winked at them again.

They then left.

"That was nice of you," Eric said.

"Indeed it was," Chuck agreed,

"Just as it was nice of both of _you_," EJ said with a nod.

Eric grinned, and Chuck smiled.

Chuck then pat Eric on the back. "See you soon," he said. He turned to EJ and waved. "See ya, and thanks," he said to him before taking off to go talk to Blair, no doubt to tell her how his plan had only failed because Jake had gotten to the Andersons.

Rufus came over then, and clapped a hand over Eric's shoulder from behind. "Ready to go?"

Eric grinned at him. "Am I ever!"

Rufus grinned too. He nodded at EJ. "Come on. Come out to dinner with us to celebrate."

EJ smiled. "I have to be at the police station. I promised Mitchel I'd help him and Gia out since Mitchel saved Eric and told the truth. I don't feel like I did anything to save Eric anyway. After all, he would have been in prison for twenty-five years if it weren't for Mitchel."

"Don't even worry about it! Jake and his friends lied. It wasn't your fault," Rufus told him.

"Still, I really have to be going. It should be friends and family time for you guys anyway," EJ said.

"Well, if you change your mind, we'll be at Blossom," Rufus said.

EJ nodded at him politely, and smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate that." He turned to Eric, and gently rubbed his shoulder. "Congrats!"

Eric hugged him. "Thanks."

EJ then left, and Rufus and put his arm around Eric. "Come on. Let's go before your mother floods the courtroom with happy tears."

Eric laughed.

They walked over to Lily, and Lily put her arm around him on the other side, and kissed his cheek. William walked behind them, a hand over Eric's back.

"I'm so happy for you, Son," William stated.

Eric didn't complain about all the parental mushiness, for it felt good to know he was going home with his parents. For once, he felt very blessed to have three parents who loved him very much, and he vowed never to take them or his life for granted again.


	18. Chapter 18

_Author's Note:_

_I just want to thank all of you who have reviewed, and all of you who have read or plan on reading every chapter of this story. I really appreciate it, and I am sorry it took so long for me to get this written. It's a long story, but I needed to tell it. And to think it all started from one little scene in a dream I had! This chapter is like a double chapter. Didn't mean for it to be quite so long, but here it is. I hope you all enjoyed this story, and thanks again for reading and reviewing. Now, without further ado, I leave you with the last chapter. Xoxo-Judy_

_**Unlovable**_

_**Chapter 18: Lovable**_

_Four Months later..._

Eric sighed as he lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. It was funny how four months ago, he had thought his life was so horrible. Now, he just felt grateful. It wasn't until he had almost lost his life that he had realized how great it actually was.

Since arriving back home, he had gotten off his crutches, and was completely healed now—at least on the outside. Sometimes, at night, he'd still have night terrors about the whole mess he had to go through, but the psychiatrist he was seeing assured him that the night terrors were completely normal. Besides, at least he could wake up from those. When he had actually gone through it, there was no waking up from it. But he didn't want to think about that.

Jake had gotten ten years in prison, as had Jessica. They were charged with perjury, obstruction of justice, and aggravated assault with bodily harm. They were not to get out on bail or parole since neither one showed any remorse.

DA Woods had suddenly turned super nice to Eric. Eric had gotten his formal and public apology from the police of Manhattan, but he had also gotten a formal and public apology from the DA, as well as a private apology from her as well, where she assured him, when Jake and Jessica got out of prison, she would see to it they didn't get anywhere near him.

Eric didn't want to think about when they got out of prison, but that was ten years away, so he wasn't going to worry about it. Besides, the DA owed him. He knew she'd keep good on her word.

Gia got off easy with no jail time, just a thousand hours community service for obstruction of justice and perjury. The judge went a whole lot easier on her since she wasn't part of the assault or the murder plan, and since she lied only to protect herself and the one she loved. Since Jake had threatened her, the judge was understanding.

As for Mitchel, he had been charged with aggravated assault with bodily harm, and involuntary manslaughter. It was considered involuntary manslaughter since, though Mitchel had stabbed Derek to prevent Derek from hurting or killing him, he hadn't actually meant to kill Derek. The DA got the perjury and obstruction of justice charged dropped since he did eventually tell the truth. She also got him a plea bargain since he did confess, and since the murder of Derek was in self defense, as well as in defense of Eric. He was sentence to a year of probation, plus a thousand hours community service.

Gia had written Eric a letter of apology, saying she felt so guilty and horrible for lying. She explained that, had she known beforehand what Derek and Jake had been up to, she never would have let things get that far. She never would have let Eric get beat up in the first place.

Mitchel wrote him a letter every day. Eric had a drawer full of letters from Mitchel. Eric had assured him that he forgave him, but the letters of apology kept on coming anyway. Eric supposed that whatever made Mitchel feel better was all right with him.

Jenny spent another two weeks with Eric after he was pronounced not guilty, but then she had to get back to Hudson. She had gotten a new job working with an up-and-coming designer, and had to get to work. Also, her mother, whom she had been living with missed her terribly, and Jenny had admitted to missing her as well.

Eric missed Jenny, but they Skyped every night, and he planned on visiting her in Hudson very soon.

His father had also stuck around afterwards for as long as he could, but, soon, business awaited, and he had to get back to his business meetings. This time, he was in Alaska. William sent him a postcard from every place he went, promising Eric he'd bring him along someday real soon.

Eric had looked at the postcard, amazed that his father dealt with people all over the US—Europe too. He supposed maybe reconnection with his father one day and traveling with him might be nice eventually.

Now, since it had been four months, everyone was back to their own jobs now, and he had spent the majority of his time, alone in the house, bored out of his skull. He thought about going to NYU, but he figured, he'd get a job now, and go next semester. Oddly enough, he had gotten a job as a waiter at Blossom. After the manager had heard that his restaurant was part of the plan to get Eric beaten up, he felt bad, and offered Eric a job. Eric figured, why not? He accepted the job. He was going to start off as a busboy, then make his way up to waiter. He was actually looking forward to it. He didn't want to be one of those snotty rich boys who wouldn't dare do busboy or waiter work. He wanted to be treated like anyone else—especially after the four months of coddling he had just gone through. It had been nice at first, being waited on hand and foot, but it had gotten old fast. Now, he was ready to wait on someone for a change. The only problem was, he had a week until work started. What he was going to do then, he didn't know. All he knew was that he was going to go stir crazy if he didn't get out of the house soon. Now he knew what his mother must have felt like when she had to be on house arrest for eight months when falsifying a document, and having Serena's then professor arrested for a crime he didn't commit. He wasn't even on house arrest, and it had only been four months, and he was already feeing like he was going out of his mind.

Now, tonight, Rufus and Lily were out for their weekly date night, and he was left all alone to fend for himself. Everyone else was off doing their own thing.

With a sigh, he climbed out of bed, then headed down the stairs to see if he could find something decent to eat. He could always order a pizza in if nothing else, he figured.

He walked by the couch, and stopped when his eyes fell upon something on the newspaper that was setting on the coffee table. It was an advertisement for the old theater. The old theater always played old movies from the fifties to the nineties. Tonight, they were playing _Swamp Thing_. It was a movie from 1982. It was supposed to be scary and just so wasn't scary at all. In fact, it was incredibly lame and stupid, but Eric had always loved it anyway! He totally had to go. It would be the perfect thing to get him out of the house. He didn't even care he had no one to go with. He preferred to be alone anyway, instead of with someone who would constantly snicker and mock the movie. Even Jenny hated the movie.

Eric grinned, then slid his shoes on, put his coat on, grabbed his wallet and keys, and left the apartment. He'd get a quick bite to eat at the pizza place near the theater, then he'd head into see the movie. He had an hour until it started. It was perfect timing.

He nodded at Vanya the doorman on the way out, and asked how the kids were doing. They were doing fine.

Eric told Vanya where he was going (since the accident, he had made it custom to always let someone know where he was going), then he left for the pizza place with a happy little jolt in his walk, and a whistle. Things were finally starting to look up for him. It was about dang time.

~GG~

Eric got his pizza, and looked for a place to sit. The bad thing about that particular pizza place was that seating was very limited. They only had three tables and two booths, and of course, both booths were taken, and some guy had just taken the last table right before he could get to it.

Eric sighed. "Well, this evening _was_ going well," he muttered to himself.

The guy who had just taken the table from him grinned. "I don't mind sharing if you don't. I'm by myself anyway, and wouldn't mind the company." He nodded at the empty chair in front of his.

Eric paused for a moment. He was still weary of meeting new people after the whole Derek and his friends incident. Especially when it was a lone guy. It reminded him of first meeting Derek. He glanced around. No one looked like they were going to finish eating any time soon, and the movie started in a half hour. He supposed it would be all right. They were in a public place with lots of people around. Besides, it's not like they were outside in the rain and he had no money for a taxi.

He sat down across from the guy. "Thanks. They should either expand this place, or find a bigger building as popular as it is."

The guy grinned. "I agree." He held out his hand for Eric to shake. "I'm Darren. Darren Foster."

Eric smiled, and shook the offered hand. The name sounded like Derek almost. At least this time it didn't rhyme with _his_ name. "I'm—"

"Eric Van der Woodsen," Darren finished for him. "I've seen you on Gossip Girl and in the news. Your family is no stranger the publicity. Always in the paper!" He winked and smiled to show Eric that he was just teasing him, and meant no disrespect to his family.

Eric laughed. "Yeah, we're pretty dysfunctional, but we love each other anyway." It made him feel good that Darren, unlike Derek, admitted right away that he knew who he was. Hopefully that meant Darren had no hidden agendas...or plots to kill him.

"Is that pineapple on your pizza?" Darren asked, nodding toward Eric's slice of pineapple and pepperoni pizza.

Eric nodded. "I get it with pepperoni instead of ham. It tastes better with the pepperoni."

"Now I feel boring having gotten just plain old cheese," Darren said.

Eric grinned, then took a bite of his pizza. "I'm not a fan of plain cheese pizza. I'll eat it without finding it totally disgusting, but I always like something else on my pizza. Otherwise, it seems too plain."

"I should have done the same," Darren said.

They ate their pizza in silence then.

When Darren finished his slice, he stood up. "Save my seat. I'm gonna go try a slice of that pepperoni and pineapple."

Eric laughed. "All right. You'll love it. It's so good." He took a sip of his soda, then went to work on his garlic roll whole Darren went up to get his pizza.

A moment later, Darren came back to the table with his pizza slice. "I thought I'd save the first bite for you to watch," he said with a grin.

Eric grinned as well. "I'm watching."

Darren took a bite as Eric watched. He kept it in his mouth for a moment, taking in the full flavor, then he swallowed and grinned. "That isn't bad! In fact, it's quite good! Thanks for the recommendation!"

Eric smiled. "Actually, I didn't recommend it. You just decided to be a copy cat," he teased.

"Meow," Darren joked before taking another bite of his pizza.

Eric laughed, then finished his garlic roll. He dabbed his mouth with a napkin, then went to work on finishing his soda.

When they finished their meals, they both stood up at the same time, and headed to the garbage.

Darren emptied his first, and held the bin open for Eric.

Eric smiled. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it," Darren said as they headed out of the pizza place.

They both looked at their watched in unison.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. I wish we had longer to chat, but tonight is the last showing for _Swamp Thing_, and I _really_ don't want to miss it. I didn't even realize it was playing until tonight," Darren stated.

Eric paused in his tracks. "No way."

Darren blushed. "What? It's corny, I know, and the opposite of scary, but, for some reason, I just love it anyway. It's so darn good!"

Eric grinned. "No, I only said it that way because that's where I'm going too! Like you, I absolutely love that movie, and just found out tonight that it is playing in the old theater!"

Darren grinned too. "Well, then, let's go, shall we? After all, we wouldn't want to miss even a second of the movie, being such big fans of it and all." He winked.

Eric laughed. "No, we wouldn't!" he agreed.

So, off they went to the theater, Eric's steps a slight bit lighter.

~GG~

"You didn't have to pay for my popcorn and soda, you know," Eric said to Darren as they sat next to each other in the forth row. To their surprise, they found out they both always sat in the forth row.

"I know, but, I'm glad to. It's my way of saying thank you for introducing me to pepperoni and pineapple pizza. Anyway, my family isn't exactly hard up in the money department. I can afford it!" Darren blushed as soon as he had said it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound snobby. I just wanted to make that known so you know that I'm not just some guy wanting to hang with you because I know your family is rich. I just worked it in all wrong."

Eric laughed. "Don't worry about it. And it's good to know you're not hanging out with me for my money."

"We're sharing a bag anyway. I can never finish a whole bag by myself, so you're actually doing me a favor. I hate seeing good food go to waste," Darren said with a grin.

"Well, you paid for my soda too," Eric reminded him.

"You can get mine next time." Darren winked at him.

Eric smiled shyly. "I'm gonna hold you to that!"

Darren grinned at him, then turned his attention to the screen.

Eric did the same.

~GG~

After the movie, Eric and Darren were talking so animatedly about the movie, that Darren suggested they head to get some coffee so that they could talk more before parting ways. Of course, Eric agreed.

So, there they were at the nearest Starbucks, drinking caramel Frappuccinos (their favorite Starbucks drink), and discussing the movie.

"My favorite part is always the part where Dr. Holland gets burned. It's hilarious!" Eric said.

Darren raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you're morbid," he teased.

"No! I don't mean because he got burned. I just mean the way they filmed it. I was just so fake and cheesy the way he ran screaming out of there and into the swamp."

Darren grinned. "Not as cheesy as when he is first revealed as Swamp Thing. I mean, could they make him look any less scary? That's _my_ favorite part."

"Yet, as cheesy and non scary as the movie is, we both love it," Eric stated.

"Go figure!" Darren said with a shrug.

They grinned at each other.

"Thanks again for the Frappuccino," Darren said, holding his drink up. "You didn't have to do that."

"Hey, I meant it when I said I'd get yours next time," Eric stated.

"Still, I was hoping next time would be a whole separate time to hang out with you," Darren explained.

Eric blushed. "We still can." He took a sip of his drink, hoping Darren couldn't see his blush.

"So, tell me a little about yourself. I know there's more to you than just being the son of a socialite," Darren said with a wink.

Eric blushed. "Please don't judge me by my mother. I love her—don't get me wrong. She's a great mother. She can just be a little..." Eric trailed off, not knowing how to say it.

"Overbearing?" Darren offered.

Eric nodded. "Exactly! But, she has a good heart, and always means well even if the things she does aren't always admirable."

Darren nodded. "I understand."

"As for me, I'm just a normal teenage guy. I'm eighteen now—just turned it. I just got a job at Blossom. I start in a week. I'm saving up a little extra money for college. I think I want to go to NYU."

"Good for you! I just work as a waiter at Chili's. I never wanted to bother with college. I had just gotten out of high school, so why would I want to do four more years of school?" Darren joked with a smile.

Eric laughed. "I hear ya! I think I want to do it more out of boredom than anything. So, how old are you?"

"That's why I work too—boredom. Plus, I want to show people I'm not just some lazy, rich snob who lives off his parents or his trust fund, or both."

"Same here!" Eric said, amazed at how much they had in common. It seemed like they just kept having more and more things in common as time went by.

"In answer to your question, I'm twenty, but some say I act more like ten," Darren joked.

Eric smirked. "Don't we all?"

Darren grinned in response, and took another sip of his drink.

Eric took a sip of his own drink before continuing. "Other than that, I like doing the typical things a boy my age likes to do. I like going to movies, as you know, and eating out. I like hanging with friends, going to the park, going shopping. Okay, so not all guys like shopping, but I'm gay, so what do you expect?" Eric joked.

Darren laughed. "Hey, I'm gay, and I don't like to shop!"

Eric blushed. He had a feeling that Darren was gay, but to hear it confirmed made him feel good. He didn't have to play games to find out for sure as he had with... Well, he didn't want to think about Derrick right now. Or ever again for that matter. He cleared his throat. "I guess I shouldn't have stereotyped then." He nervously took another sip of his Frappuccino. He hoped Darren didn't notice him being flustered.

"Though, with the right guy, I'd be happy to shop with him," Darren responded, his eyes on Eric's.

Eric set down his Frappuccino. He sighed. "Darren, before we go any further with this, I need to tell you something."

Darren shook his head. "No need to bring it up. Your trial was in the papers, and all over the news. I know all about what that jerk did to you."

Eric felt a little bit of panic creep into him. Why hadn't he thought about the media? Of course everyone—including Darren—knew what had happened to him! What if Darren was a friend of Derrick's or Jake's, wanting to finish what Derek had started? After all, Derek had said he had a lot of contacts that could get to him even if he and his friends were in jail. Eric was sure that Derek being dead would be even more reason for his contacts to go after him.

He quickly stood up. "I gotta go!"

Darren stood up as well, and gently grabbed his arm.

Eric cried out, and quickly pulled his arm back, accidentally dropping his drink in the process.

"Woah, Eric! Relax! What's wrong?" Darren asked.

"You're one of Derrick's contacts, aren't you?" Eric asked. "You're here to get the revenge on me that Derek and Jake could't get! You want to kill me now, don't you? You want to fool me into trusting you, then you will make sure you get the job done this time," Eric stated.

People were staring now, but he didn't care. He was onto Darren, and he wasn't going to let what happened with Derrick happen to him again!

Darren looked shocked. "What? Eric, no! I would never hurt you like that! As far as I'm concerned, Derrick got what he deserved, and his friends should have had the same fate! Jake and Jessica anyway. Besides, if that were my plan, don't you think I wouldn't even let you know that I know what happened to you?"

Eric calmed down a bit. "Well, then, you just want to be with me because I was in the papers. You want to be the first guy to bag the gay socialite since Derek."

Darren looked hurt. "Eric, I don't care who you are. You've been in the media far before this happened. Besides, I've got my own money, remember? And, if I were out to get you, don't you think I would have gotten to you earlier than four months later?"

"You could have been biding your time," Eric stated, though he didn't really believe Darren was a friend of Derrick's or Jake's anymore.

"You know what? Maybe us having coffee together was a mistake. I thought that maybe I could find love again, and that maybe you would want to find love again, but, apparently, you're not looking for it, and you're not the right guy for me." Darren turned on his heel, and headed out the door then.

Eric stood there, his mouth dropped open. Darren had left him. Just like that. He guessed Darren really _wasn't _working for Derrick or Jake, or out to bag the socialite. Unless, this was all part of the plan, making him think he was safe because he walked away.

Eric sighed. "I'm just being paranoid and stupid!" he muttered to himself.

He absentmindedly bent down to collect his drink, but of course it was all over the floor. He ditched the now empty cup in the trash, and a worker came out to mop up the floor.

"Sorry about that," Eric said to the poor employee who had to mop it up.

"It's all right. It happens. You're not the first person to spill a drink in here, nor will you be the last. Heck, it's better than the barf I had to mop up last week when a little kid had a little too much smoothie." She winked.

Eric winced. "Sorry about that too," he said, even though the kid's throwing up had nothing to do with him.

He quickly made his way out of Starbucks, and ran down the sidewalk until he found Darren. He was glad Darren hadn't taken a cab and disappeared out of his life for good. He hadn't wanted to chance running into him again at the old theater.

He caught up with Darren, and placed a hand over his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said out of breath.

Darren stopped walking. "Don't you know not to sneak up on a person like that in this city?" he asked with a smirk.

"Sorry," Eric said, still gasping for breath.

"Here." Darren took Eric's hand, and led him over to a bench that was set up right outside of the small boutique that they had been standing in front of.

"I'm the one who's sorry. After all you went through, it's only normal for you to get a little freaked out when something suspicious happens," Darren stated. "I shouldn't have just walked out like that."

"But you were just being nice—not suspicious," Eric said.

"Don't even worry about it," Darren said, shaking his head and holding his hands up. "I didn't mean to scare you. I meant what I said, I'm just looking for love again, and always thought you were cute."

Eric grinned and blushed. "Really?"

Darren nodded. "I may or may not have all the newspaper articles and Gossip Girl blasts your were in stuffed in a shoebox underneath my bed." He bushed as soon as he said it. "Okay, I'm trying to make myself not sound creepy to you, and all I'm doing is making it worse—much worse."

Eric laughed. "No, it's cool. I'm flattered that someone actually finds me all that cute."

Darren blushed. "I had a massive crush on you since the first time I saw you in the paper. You were with your mother at some fundraiser to save the children's hospital."

"That was a couple years ago! You remember that?" Eric asked in surprise.

Darren nodded. "Of course! You were the only young, handsome bachelor there. Everyone else was old and snooty."

Eric laughed. "I'll be sure to tell my mom my new friend thinks she's old and snooty!"

Darren laughed too. "I didn't mean it that way! Your mom is hot."

"I'd prefer you think of her as old and snooty," Eric said, wrinkling his nose. "Hot? Gross!"

Darren laughed. "Don't worry. I'm gay, remember? But I can still tell when a woman is good looking just as you can I'm sure."

Eric shook his head. "Not my mom though. It would be quite disturbing if I found her hot."

Darren laughed. "All right. Let me rephrase then. She is a decent looking lady who gave birth to an incredibly hot son."

Eric nodded. "I can live with that!" He grinned.

"So, do you think you'd want to go on a date with me sometime soon? A real date?" Darren asked. "I'd like to be more than just your friend."

Eric looked away. "I like you. A _lot_ actually." He looked back up at Darren. "But, after what happened to me, I'm just a little weary about getting into another relationship. It's not that I don't trust you. It just that it's going to take some time before I feel like my old self again in a relationship, you know?"

Darren nodded. "I understand completely. I just got out of a relationship myself. It was nothing like you and Derrick. The exact opposite really. We were so in love, and I honestly had our engagement and wedding all planned out in my head. Then, one night when I was getting ready to go out with him, I got a text from David, my then boyfriend. It said that he had found someone else, and that he didn't want to see me anymore. He was moving to Georgia to be with some guy he had met off the internet."

"He _texted_ you that?" Eric asked in alarm and shock.

Darren nodded. "I called him up, demanding to know what was going on. Was it a joke? Was he just scared of how close he and I were getting, and trying to push me away? But, no. He said he and 'Frank' had met on a facebook gaming site, kept talking, and fell in love. Apparently, Frank had come to visit him, and they had been secretly seeing each other behind my back while I was at work."

"That's terrible!" Eric said.

Darren nodded. "Frank lived around here, but his company wanted to move him to their Atlanta branch. He asked David to move with him. David agreed, dumped me, and that was the end of that. David said he had been unhappy with me for a long time. I never would have known. He always played happy to my face. I thought he loved me as much as I loved him. I guess I should just be thankful he wasn't violent and vicious like Derrick."

Eric placed a hand overtop of Darren's. "But sometimes the emotional pain is just as bad as the physical pain."

Darren looked at him with sad eyes and nodded. "It was half a year ago. I've moved on, but I still get scared that I'm going to meet someone, fall in love again, and the they will just leave me again."

"I'd never do that to you," Eric said to him.

"That's good to know," Darren said with a weak smile.

Eric sighed. "It's just that you mentioned loving again, and I guess that kind of scares me too. I'm not even sure I'm ready to have a boyfriend again, let alone someone I'm in love with."

Darren blushed. "What can I say? I'm a romantic at heart. I'm not sure if I'm ready for love or not yet either. I just meant, eventually. Look, I'm willing to take it slow. We can hang out together a few more times. We won't even call out get togethers dates. Then, we can go from there. We'll just let things naturally progress. There's no pressure. If it never goes any further than friendship, well, then, at least we both have a brand new friend that likes _Swamp Thing_!"

They both laughed.

"You know what? I'm willing to try that. How about we go get lunch at Blossom tomorrow? I might as well give my job place some more business," Eric suggested.

Darren nodded. "Sounds good! Say we'll meet there at noon? Then maybe we can do a little shopping afterwards."

"I thought you didn't like shopping?" Eric asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Like I said, I don't mind it with the right guy," Darren reminded him. "No pressure. You're the right guy as a friend even if not a boyfriend." He grinned.

Eric grinned too. "I'll see you at noon then."

They shook each other's hand, and programed each other's number into their cell phones, then started to head their separate ways.

Eric stopped after a few steps, and turned around. "Darren?"

Darren stopped too, and looked behind him. "Yes, Eric?"

"I have no doubt we'll eventually get there—being boyfriends," Eric stated.

Darren grinned. "Me too." He turned back around, and began walking away again. "See you tomorrow," he called out, waving without looking back.

Eric waved back, even though Darren wouldn't be able to see him. "See you tomorrow," he agreed. Then, with a grin, and a slightly faster beating heart, he practically frolicked over to the subway. Since the accident, he was too afraid to take cabs by himself. But, now that he had met Darren, he'd get over that fear eventually. He just knew it!

He smiled the whole way home, not caring if the people on the subway looked at him funny.

~GG~

"Well, _you_ look happier than I've seen you look in a long time!" Lily said as Eric entered the apartment with a huge grin on his face.

Eric grinned even wider. "I am! I met someone. His name is Darren, and we like so many of the same things!"

Rufus, who was sitting on the couch with Lily on his lap, pat the seat beside them. "Come tell us about him."

So, Eric did just that. He told his parents everything. He no longer liked to keep secrets from them. He learned that you never knew when certain information would end up being important.

Lily and Rufus both listened intently.

"I just hope you're ready for a new relationship. I want you to be careful," Lily told him.

Eric looked at his mother. "I will be, mom. Trust me. That's why we're taking it slow."

"From what you've told us about him, I like him! He seems like a really nice guy. We want to meet him this time. Parents can meet their children's friends, right?" Rufus asked.

Eric laughed. "Of course! I learned my lesson. I _want_ you guys to meet him this time. Maybe tomorrow after lunch and shopping."

"I just hope he treats you right even if he's just a friend for now," Lily said, still a little uncertain.

"You'll like him, Mom. He said he thinks you're hot!" Eric grinned, knowing that would get her. "He said that, even though he's gay, he can still tell when a woman is good looking."

Lily blushed. "On the other hand, I'm sure he's a nice young gentleman, and I can hardly wait to meet him!"

"Now _I_ don't like him!" Rufus joked.

Lily grinned. "You know I only have eyes for you." She clung to Rufus, her face inching closer to his.

Their eyes lowered, and they kissed.

Eric got up off the couch. "This is my cue to leave. Just remember, your room is still right above mine."

Lily smirked.

"So, what's he look like?" Rufus suddenly asked, curious.

"Just like Blaine from _Glee_, but even cuter!" Eric said, already halfway up the stairs.

"In that case, maybe _I'll_ take him!" Rufus joked.

Eric laughed. "Dream on!"

Lily playfully swatted him. "Don't be a cad!"

"How about I be a husband hot for his wife instead?" Rufus asked, giving her a hungry look.

Lily paused. "That could work." She wiped a strand of hair out of his eyes.

"You know you're the only one for me," Rufus told her.

"Prove it," she breathed.

Rufus picked her up, and kissed her all the way up the stairs to their bedroom. Lily wasn't complaining, but she was sure Eric would be by morning.

~GG~

Eric rolled his eyes. He could see, or rather, hear, his parents hadn't heeded his warning too well. He plopped on his headphones, turned his ipod to Britney, and turned it up loud enough to block their moans. Then, he grabbed his iphone, and texted Darren.

_I hope I don't seem too eager, texting you so soon—especially when we're supposed to be taking things slow—but I just wanted to say good night, and I am really looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow. If you don't mind, my parents want to meet you after lunch and shopping. They just think it's a good idea after what happened with me and Derek._

It only took a total of two minutes for Darren to get back to him. Eric had counted. 

_It's not too soon. Actually, I was just contemplating texting you. I'm looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow too. And of course I don't mind meeting your parents! Your mom's hot, remember?"_

Eric grinned, and quickly texted back.

_Just remember, she is a happily married woman! :)_

Darren responded under a minute this time.

_Just remember that I am gay, and that you're the only hot one I'm after. ;)_

Eric smiled, his heart pounding as he texted back one last time.

You're pretty hot yourself! ;) _Goodnight, Darren. Sweet dreams. I'll see you at noon._

Darren's response came just as quickly as the last.

_Goodnight, Eric. Sweet dreams to you too. Noon can't come soon enough._

Eric grinned, and turned off his phone. Then, he set his phone aside, and turned off the light before rolling over onto his side, closing his eyes, and letting the music wash over him as he thought about Darren. Who knew? Maybe he wasn't so unlovable after all.

~GG~

Darren grinned to himself as he lay in bed, staring at the picture of Eric from that charity benefit two years ago. He looked so handsome in his suit. He couldn't believe a guy like Eric was interested in him. He was so lucky! Never would he have imagined two years ago when first seeing Eric that Eric would ever love him back.

With a content sigh, Derek kissed the picture of Eric, then placed it on his nightstand so that it wouldn't get wrinkled overnight. Then, he turned the light off, lay down on his side, closed his eyes, and began playing back the whole night, starting seeing Eric standing in line at the pizza place, and he himself working up the courage to talk to him. Boy was he glad he had. So far, this was the best day of his life. And here he'd thought he'd never love again after David left him.

He let out another content sigh, and smiled to himself while waiting for sleep to overtake him. Who knew? Maybe he wasn't so unlovable after all.

~_The End~_


End file.
